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Vol. a. Vo. ML Mot. n, USS. Anav 



SPANISH C^'^2>^;. 

VOYAGl!^'^ - 

OF DISCOVERY, 



BY 



WASHINGTON IRVING. 

i 



A Mired at the Post Office, N. T., m seoond-eUiu maXter. 
Co^rriCht, UtS, t>x Jou W. Lotkll Co. 



> 



ORK^ 



■h To !\N • W • L, oV£ t, L • CoAVPAHY-^ 





^•MtfMTX lZjr>»«lbrMv»U»«oMbt<Mi*mlf^ 



.-■ mf . 



LOVELL'S library:-catalogue: 



1. 
s. 

3. 
4. 
6. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 

11. 

12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 

19. 

20. 
21. 
22. 

23. 
24. 
25. 

2G. 

27. 
28. 
29. 

m. 

o2. 



I 84. 
t 'ib. 

33. 

37. 

i 88- 
89. 
40. 

41. 
I 42. 
5 43. 
i 44. 

45. 

46. 

47. 

48. 



60. 



Hyperion, bv H. W, Longfellow. .20 
Oiitre-Mer, by U. W. Longfellow. 20 

The Happy Boy, by BjOrnson 10 

Arne, by" BjOrnson 10 

Frankenstem, by Mrs. Shelley... 10 

The Last of the Mohicans £0 

C'.ytie. by Joseph Hat.ton .20 

The Moonstone, by C ollins, P't 1. 10 
The Moonstone, by Coilina, P'tll. 10 
Oliw Twist, by Charlefs Dickens. 20 
The Cominj^ Pace, by LyUon..,.10 

Leila, by Lord Lytton 10 

The Three Spaniards, by Walker. 20 
TheTiicks of the GreeksUnve)led,20 
L'Abbe Consiantin, by Halevy.^J 
Freckles, by R, F. EedclifT. . . .20 
The Dark ColU. en. by Harriett Jay.20 
They 'VF'ere Married! by Walter 

iBepant and Jumes Rice 10 

Seekers after God, by Fvirrar 20 

The Spanish Nun, byDeQuincey.lO 

The Green Mountain Boya 20 

riourette, by Eii^^ene Scribe 20 

Second Thoa-'litR. by Broii?hton.20 
The New ^'^apdalen, by Collins,. 20 

Divorce, by Margaret Lee 20 

Life of Washington, by Henley. .20 
Social Etqnette, by Mrs. Saville.l5 
Sinele Heart and Double t ace. .10 

Irene, by Carl Detlef 20 

Vice Versa, by P. Anstey 20 

Ernest Maltravers, by Lord LyttonSO 
The Haunted House and Caldei on 

the Courtier, by Lord Lytton, . 10 
Jolfci Halifax, bv Mif's Mulock. . .20 

800 Leagues on the Amazon W 

The Cryptogram, by Jules V,erne.lO 

Life of Marion, by Horry 20 

Paul and Virginia 10 

Tale of Two Cities, by Dickens. .2 ' 

The Hermits, by King^ley 20 

An Adventure in Thule, and Mar- 
riage of Moira Fergus, Black .10 

A Marriage in 1^ igh Life 20 

Robin, by Mrs. Parr 20 

Two on a Tower, by Thos. Hardy.2<./ 
Rasselas, by Samuel Johueon.... 10 
AJice; or, the Mysteriee, being 

PartIL of Frnest Maltravers..20 
Duke of Kandos, by A. Mathey...20 

Baron M unchaneen. 10 

A Princess of Thule, by Black.. 20 
Thii Secret Despatch, by Grant, 20 
Early Days of Christianity, by 

Canon Farrar, D I) , Part I. . . .20 
Early Days of Christianity, Pt. IL2f) 
Vicar of Wakefield, by Goldsmith .10 
Proerre^s and Poverty, by Henry 

George 20 

The Spy, by Cooper 20 

Ea^t Lyune, by Mrs. Wood... 20 
A Stranjje Story, by I-*'"'!^ Lytton.. .20 

Adam Bede, by Eiiot, Parti 1) 

Adam Bede, Part II 15 

The Golden Sluift. by GibboB. . . .20 

Portia, by The Duchess 20 

Last Daysof Pompeii, by Lylton...20 

The Two Ductiet<«es, by Mathey. .20 

, Tom Browns School Days 20 



62. The Wooing O't, by Mrs. Alex- 

ender. Parti. IB 

The Wooing O't, Part II 15 

63. The Vwdetta, by Balzac 20 

64. Hypatia.by C;has. Kiiig!--ley,P'tI.15 
Hvpatia. by Ringsley, Part II. . . . 15 

65. Selma, by Mrs. J.G. Smith 15 

6ij. Margaret and her Bridesmaids. .20 

67. Hor."e Shoe Robinson, Part I.... 15 
Horec Shoe Robinson, Part II. ,.15 

68. Gulliver's Travels, by Swift 20 

6'J. Amos Barton, by George Eliot... 10 

TO. The Berber, by W , E . Mayo 20 

W. Silas Marner. by George Eliot. ..10 

72. The Queen of the Couuty 20 

73. Li f 8 of •L'rorawill, by Hood... 15 

74. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. 20 

7.5. Child's IliL^tory of England 20 

7(5. Jiloily Bawn, by The Duchess. . .20 

77. ril!nn:% bv William BergsOe 15 

^8. Phyllis, bv The Duchess 20 

Vy. Romola, by .Geo. Eiiot, Part I. . .15 

Romola, by Geo. Eliot, Part II. . 15 

80. Science in Short Chauters 20 

81. Zanoni, by Lord Ly. ton 20 

82. A I)auc,-i; tor of Herb 20 

83. The Rieht and Wrong Uses of 

ti;e Bible, R. Heber I^ew ton. . .20 

8-1. K'^ht end Momiug, Pt. 1 15 

Ni.uht and Morning. Part II 15 

8.5. Shandon Bells, by Wra. Black.. 20 

66. Monica, by the Duchess ....10 

S7. IT^irt and, Science, by Collins... 20 
83. The Golden Calf, by Braddon. . .80 

69. The Deai)'8 Daughter ...20 

9i\ Mrs. Geoffrey, by The Duchess.. 20 
91. Pickwick Papers, Part 1 20 

Pickwick Papers, Part II 20 

91. Airy, Faify Lilian. The Duche>p.20 
m. McLeod of Dare, by Wni. l>iftek.',:0 

94. Tempet^t Tossed, by Tilton P 1 1 20 
Tempest Tosi^edTby Tilton, P 11120 

95. Letters from High Latitudes, by 

Lord Diifferin .' ?0 

96. Gideon Fleece, b;^ Lucy 20 

97. India and Ceylon,? / E. Haeckei , .xO 

98. The Gyp-^y Queen -0 

99. The Admiral's Ward 20 

100. >'impovt, by E L. Bynner,P'tI .15 
Nimport. bvE. L. Bynner, P't II. 15 

101. Harry Holbrooke 20 

102. Trtons, by E. L. Bynner, P't I. . .1. '5 
Tritons.bvE.L. Byiner. P tII..15 

103. Let Nothing You Ditmay, by 

Walter Besant. 10 

104. L'.dy Au41> y s Secret, by Miss 

M E. iTraddon 20 

105 Woman V Ph.ce To-day, by Mrs. 

Lillie Deverenx rilake . 20 

106. Dunallan, by K'^nnedy, Parti. ..15 
Dunallan, by K<-nnedy, Pj^ II. .15 

107. Housekeeping ano Ilomapiatt- 

ing. by Marion Harland 15 

108. No New'^binfe by W. E. Norri.^.20 

109. The Spoopendrke Papers 20 

110. False Hope:*, by Goldwtn Smith 1 5 

111. La»>oraiid Cap'tal 20 

112. Wanda,' b> Onida, Tart 1 :15 

Wanda, by Onida, Part II 16 



SPANISH 

/ C 



VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 



BY 



WASHINGTON IRVING. • 



NEW YORK : 
JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY 

14 & i6 Vesey Street, 



\ 



SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 



COifTEISTS. 



PAGE 

IXTRODCCTION 5 

CHAP. ALONZO DE OJEDA. 

I. Some Account of Ojeda— Of Juan de la Cosa— Of Amerigo Vespucci- 

preparations for the Voyage (1499; 9 

II. DeJ/ "ture from Spain— Arrival on the Coast of Paria — Customs of the 

Natives 13 

III. Coasting of Terra Firma— Military Expedition of Ojeda 15 

IV. Discovery of the Gulf of Venezuela — Transactions there— Ojeda explores 

the Gulf —Penetrates to Maracaibo 17 

V. Prosecution of the Voyage— Return to Spain 20 

PEDRO ALONZO NINO AND CHPJSTOVAL GUERRA (1499). 

A. D. 1499 22 

VICENTE YANEZ PINZON. 

A. D. 1499 26 

DIEGO DE LEPE AND RODRIGO DE BASTIDES. 

A. D. 1500 38 

ALONZO DE OJEDA. Second Voyage. 

A. D. 1502 35 

ALONZO DE OJEDA. Third Voyage. 

I. Ojeda applies for a Command— Has a rival candidate in Diego de Nicuesa 

— His success 41 

n. Feud between the Rival Governors, Ojeda and Nicuesa— A Challenge— 

(1509) 44 

in. Exploits and Disasters of Ojeda on the Coast of Carthagena — Fate of the 

veteran Jioan de la Cosa ''1.50Q) 48 

rv. Arrival of Nicuesa— Vengeance taken on the Indians 52 

V. Ojeda founds the Colony of San Sebastian— Beleagured bv the Indians, ... 56 
VI. Alonzo de Ojeda supposed by the Savages to have a Charmed Life— Their 

Experiment to try the Fact 58 

V [I. Arrival of aStrange Ship at San vSebastian 59 

VIII. Factions in the Colony— A Convention made 61 

IX. Disastrous Voyage of' Ojeda in the Pirate Ship - .'. 62 

X. Toilsome March of Ojeda and his Companions through the Morasses of 

Cuba 64 

XI. Ojeda performs his Vow to the Virgin 66 

XII. Arrival of Ojeda at Jamaica— His Reception by Juan de Esquibel 67 

Xlir. Arrival of Alonzo de Ojeda at San Domingo— Conclusion of his Story 69 

DIEGO DE NICXIESA. 

I. Nicuesa sails to the Westward— His Shipwreck and subsequent Disasters.. 72 

II. Nicuesa and his men on a desolate Island 74 

HI. Arrival of a Boat— Conduct of Lope de Olano 76 

IV. Nicuesa rejoins his Crews 77 

V. Sufferings of Nicuesa and his men on the Coast of the Isthmus 78 

VI. Expedition of the Bachelor Enciso in search of the Seat of Government 

of Ojeda a510) 81 

yil . The Bachelor hears unwelcome Tidings of his destined Juri.sdiction &i 

VnL Crusade of the Bachelor Enciso against the Sepulchres of Zenu 85 



4 dON^BKM 

CHAP. P^G^ 

IX. The Bachelor arrives at San Sebastian— His Disasters there, and subse- 
quent Exploits at Darien 88 

X The Bachelor Enciso undertakes the Command— His Downfall 90 

XI. Perplexities at the Colony— Arrival of Colmenares 91 

m. Colmenares goes in quest of Nicuesa 92 

XIH. Catastrophe of the unfortunate Nicuesa 95 

YASCO NUNEZ DE BA-LBOA, Discovkrek op the Pacific Ocean. 

I. Factions at Darien— Vasco Nufiez elected to the Command 99 

II. Expedition to Coyba— Vasco Nufiez receives the Daughter of a Cacique 

as hostage 101 

III. Vasco Nuiiez hears of a Sea beyond the Mountains 104 

iV. Expedition of Vasco Nufiez in quset of the Golden Temple of Dobayba. 107 

V. Disaster on the Black River— Indian Plot against Darien Ill 

Vl! Further Factions in the Colony— Arrogance of Alonzo Perez and the 

Bachelor Corral 113 

Vn. Vasco Nufiez determines to seek the Sea beyond the Mountair'^'^ (1513) . 117 

Vlir. Expedition in quest of the Southern Sea '^ 118 

IX. Discovery of the Pacific Ocean 121 

X. Vasco Nufiez marches to the Shores of the South Sea 124 

XI. Adventures of Vasco Nufiez on the Borders of the Pacific Ocean 127 

Xll! Further Adventures and Exploits of Vasco Nunez 131 

XIII. Vasco Nufiez sets out on his return across the Mountains— His contests 

with the Savage* 133 

XIV. Enterprise against TubanamS,, the warlike Cacique of the Mountains- 

Return to Darien 136 

XV. Transactions in Spain— Pedrarias Davila appointed to the Command 
of Darien— Tidings received in Spain of the Discovery of the Pacific 

Ocean 139 

XVI Arrival and Grand Entry of Don Pedrarias Davila into Darien 144 

XVIl! Perfidious Conduct of Don Pedrarius towards Vasco Nufiez 147 

XVIII. Calamities of the Spanish Cavaliers at Darien 149 

XIX. Fruitless Expedition of Pedrarias 151 

XX. Second Expedition of Vasco Nufiez in quest of the Gtolden Temple of 

Dobayba 153 

XXI. Letters from the King in favor of Vasco Nufiez— Arrival of Garabito— 

Arrest of Vasco Nunez (1515) 155 

XXn. Expedition of Morales and Pizarro to the Shores of the Pacific Ocean— 
Their Visit to the Pearl Islands — Their disastrous Return across the 

Mountains 157 

mil. Unfortunate Enterprises of the Officers of Pedrarias— Matrimonial 

Compact between the Governor and Vasco Nufiez 166 

IXIV Vasco Nufiez transports ships across the Mountains to the Pacific 

Ocean (1516) 166 

XXV. Cruise of Vasco Nufiez in the Southern Sea— Rumours from Ada 169 

XXVI. Reconnoitering Expedition of Garabito — Stratagem of Pedrarias to 

entrap Vasco Nufiez 170 

XIVII Vasco Nufiez and the Astrologer— His return to Ada 172 

XXVm. Trial of Vasco Nufiez 174 

XXIX. Execution of Vasco Nufiez (1517) 177 

Valdivia and his Companions 1 80 

Micer Codro, the Astrologer 189 

JUAN PONCE DE LEON, Conqueror of Porto Rico and Discoverer of Florida. 

I. Reconnoitering Expedition of Juan Ponce de Leon to the Island of 

Boriquen (1508) 191 

II. Juan Ponce aspires to the Government of Porto Rico (1509) 193 

III. Juan Ponce rules with a strong hand— Exasperation of the Indians— Their 

Experiment to prove whether the Spaniards were mortal : 195 

IV. Conspiracy of the Caciques— The Fate of Sotomayor 196 

V. War of Juan Ponce with the Cacique Agueyban^ 199 

VI. Juan Ponce de Leon hears of a wonderful Country and miraculous Fovin- 

tain 203 

VII. Cruise of Juan Ponce de Leon in search of the Fountain of Youth (1512). . . 205 
VIII. Expedition of Juan Ponce against the Caribs— His Death (1514) 207 

APPENDIX. 

A Visit to Palos 211 

Manifesto of Alonzo de Ojeda ^6 



INTEODUOTIOF. 



The fii-st discovery of the western hemisphere has already- 
been related by the author in his History of Columbus. It is 
proposed by liim, in the present work, to narrate the enterprises 
of certain of the companions and disciples of the admiral, who, 
enkindled by his zeal, and instructed by his example, sallied 
forth separately in the vast region of adventure to which he 
had led the way. Many of them sought merely to skirt the 
continent which he had partially visited, and to secure the first 
fruits of the pearl fisheries of Paria and Cubaga, or to explore 
the coast of Veragua, which he had represented as the Aurea 
Chersonesus of the Ancients. Others aspired to accomplish a 
grand discovery which he had meditated toward the close of 
his career. In the course of his expeditions along the coast of 
Terra Firma, Columbus had repeatedly received information 
of the existence of a vast sea to the south. He supposed it to 
be the great Indian Ocean, the region of the Oriental spice 
islands, and that it must communicate by a strait with the Ca- 
ribbean Sea. His last and most disastrous voyage was made 
for the express purpose of discovering that imaginary strait, 
and making liis way into this Southern Ocean. The illustrious 
navigator, however, was doomed to die, as it were, upon the 
threshold of his discoveries. It was reserved for one of his fol- 
lowers, Vasco Nuiiez de Balboa, to obtain the first view of the 
promised ocean, from the lofty mountains of Darien, some 
years after the eyes of the venerable admiral had been closed 
in death. 

The expeditions herein narrated, therefore, may be considered 
as springing immediately out of the voyages of Columbus, and 
fulfilling some of his grand designs. They may be compared 
to the attempts of adventurous knights errant to achieve the 
enterprise left unfinished by some illustrious* predecessor. 
Neither is this comparison entirely fanciful. On the contrary, 



^ SPANISH VOYAGES OF DtSG OVERT, 

it is a curious fact, well worthy of notice, that the spirit of 
chivalry entered largely into the early expeditions of the Span- 
ish discoverers, giving them a character wholly distinct from 
similar enterprises undertaken by other nations. It will not, 
perhaps, be considered far sought, if we trace the cause of this 
pecuharity to the domestic history of the Spaniards during the 
middle ages. 

Eight centuries of incessant warfare with the Moorish usurp- 
ers of the peninsula produced a deep and lasting effect upon the 
Spanish character and manners. The war being ever close at 
home, mingled itself with the domestic habits and concerns of 
the Spaniard. He was born a soldier. The wild an^ predatory 
nature of the war, also, made him a kind of chivalrous marauder. 
His horse and weapon were always ready for the field. His 
delight was in roving incursions and extravagant exploits, and 
no gain was so glorious in his eyes as the cavalgada of spoils 
and captives, driven home in triumph from a plundered prov- 
ince. Religion, which has ever held great empire in the Span- 
ish mind, lent its aid to sanctify these roving and ravaging pro- 
pensities, and the Castilian cavalier, as he sacked the towns 
and laid waste the fields of his Moslem neighbour, piously be- 
lieved he was doing God service. 

The conquest of Granada put an end to the peninsula wars 
between christian and infidel; the spirit of Spanish chivalry 
was thus suddenly deprived of its wonted sphere of action ; but 
it had been too long fostered and excited to be as suddenly ap- 
peased. The youth of the nation, bred up to daring adventure 
and heroic achievement, could not brook the tranquil and regu- 
lar pursuits of common life, but panted for some nsw field of 
romantic enterprise. 

It was at this juncture that the grand project of Columbus 
was carried into effect. His treaty with the sovereigns was, in. 
a manner, signed with the same pen that had subscribed tlie 
c^itulation of the Moorish capital, and his first expedition may 
almost be said to have departed from beneath the walls of Gra- 
nada. Many of the youthful cavaliers who had fleshed their 
swords in that memorable war, crowded the ships of the dis- 
coverers, thinking a new career of arms was to be opened to them 
—a kind of crusade into splendid and unknown regions of infi- 
dels. The very weapons and armour that had been used against 
the Moors were drawn from the arsenals to equip the discover- 
ers, and some of the most noted of the early commanders in the 
new world will be found to have made their first essay in arms 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

under the banner of Ferdinand and Isabella, in their romantic 
campaigns among the mountains of Andalusia. 

To these circumstances may, in a great measure, be ascribed 
that swelling chivalrous spirit which will be found continually- 
mingling, or rather warring, with the technical habits of the 
seamen, and the sordid schemes of the mercenary adventurer ; 
in these early Spanish discoveries, chivalry had left the land 
and launched upon the deep. The Spanish cavalier had em- 
barked in the Caraval of the discoverer ; he carried among the 
trackless wildernesses of the new world, the same contempt of 
danger and fortitude under suffering, the same restless roaming 
spirit, the same passion for inroad and ravage, and vain-glori- 
ous exploit, and the same fervent, and often bigoted, zeal for 
the propagation of his faith that had distinguished him during 
his warfare with the Moors. Instances in point Avill be found 
in the extravagant career of the daring Ojeda, particularly in 
his adventures along the coast of Terra Firma and the wild 
shores of Cuba. In the sad story of the ' ' unfortunate Nicuesa ;" 
graced as it is with occasional touches of high-bred courtesy ; 
in the singular cruise of that brave, but credulous, old cavalier, 
Jman Ponce de Leon, who fell upon the flowery coast of Florida, 
in his search after an imaginary fountain of youth ; and above 
all in the chequered fortunes of Vasco Nmiez de Balboa, whose 
discovery of the Pacific ocean, forms one of the most beautiful 
and striking incidents in the history of the new world, and 
whose fate might furnish a theme of wonderful interest for a 
poem or a drama. 

The extraordinary actions and adventures of these men, 
while they rival the exploits recorded in chivalric tale, have 
the additional interest of verity. They leave us in admiration 
of the bold and heroic qualities inherent in the Spanish char- 
acter, which led that nation to so high a pitch of power and 
glory, and which are still discernible in the great mass of that 
gallant people, by those who have an opportunity of judging 
of them rightly. 

Before concluding these prefatory remarks, the author 
would acknowledge how much he has been indebted to the 
third volume of the invaluable Historical collection of Don 
Martin Fernandez de Navarrete, wherein he has exhibited his 
usual industry, accuracy, and critical acumen. He has like^ 
wise profited greatly by the second volume of Oviedo's general 
history, which only exists in manuscript, and a copy of which 
he found in the Columbian library of the Cathedral of g^yille, 



3 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

He has had some assistance also from the documents of the 
law-case between Don Diego Columbus and the Crown, which 
exist in the archives of the Indies; and for an mspection of 
which he is much indebted to the permission of the Spanish 
Government and the kind attentions of Don Josef de La Hi- 
g-aera Lara, the keeper of the archives. These, with the his- 
torical works of LasCasas, Herrera, Gomera, and Peter Martyr, 
have been his authorities for the facts contained m the follow- 
ing work; though he has not thought proper to refer to them 
continually at the bottom of his page. ' 

While his work was going through the press he received a 
volume of Spanish Biography, written with great elegance and 
accuracy, by Don Manuel Josef Quintana, and containing a 
life of Vasco Nunez de Balboa. He was gratified to find that 
his arrangement of facts was generally corroborated by this 
work- though he was enabled to correct his dates m several 
instances, and to make a few other emendations from the vol- 
lune of Sefior Quintana, whose position in Spain gave him the 
means of attaining superior exactness on these points. 



VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES 

OF THE 

COMPANIONS OF COLUMBUS. 



To declare my opiniuu herein, whatsoever hath heretofore been discovered by 
the famous travayles of Saturnus and Hercules, with such other whom the An- 
tiquitie for their heroical acts honoured as gods, seemeth but little and obscure, if 
it be compared to the victorious labors of the Spanyards.— P. Martyr, Decad. III. c. 
4. Lock's translation 



ALONZO DE OJEDA.* 



HIS FIRST VOYAGE, IN WHICH HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY 
AMERIGO VESPUCCI.i 



CHAPTER I. 



SOME ACCOUNT OF OJEDA— OF JUAN DE LA COSA— OF AMERIGO 
VESPUCCI— PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE. — (1499.) 

Those who have read the History of Columbus will, doubt- 
less, remember the character and exploits of Alonzo de Ojeda ; 
as .some of the readers of the following pages, however, may 
not have perused that work, and as it is proposed at present to 
trace the subsequent fortunes of this youthful adventurer, a 
brief sketch of him may not be deemed superfluous. 

Alonzo de Ojeda was a native of Cuenca, in New Castile, 
and of a respectable family. He was brought up as a page or 
esquire, in the service of Don Luis de Cerda, Duke of Medina 
Cell, one of the most powerful nobles of Spain ; the same who 
for some time patronised Columbus during his application to 
the Spanish court. J 

* Ojeda is pronounced in Spanish Oheda, with a strong aspiration of the h. 

t Vespucci, Vespuchy. 

t Varones Ilustres, por F. Pizarro y Orellana, p. 41 . Las Casas, Hist. Ind. 1. 1. c. 82. 



lO SPAmsir VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

In those warlike days, when the peninsula was distracted by- 
contests between the christian kingdoms, by feuds between the 
nobles and the crown, and by the incessant and marauding 
warfare with the Moors, the household of a Spanish nobleman 
was a complete school of arms, where the youth of the country 
were sent to be trained up in all kinds of hardy exercises, and 
to be led to battle under an illustrious banner. Such was es- 
pecially the case with the service of the Duke of Medina Cell, 
who possessed princely domains, whose household was a petty 
court, who led legions of armed retainers to the field, and who 
appeared in splendid state and with an immense retinue, more 
as an ally of Ferdinand and Isabella, than as a subject. He 
engaged in many of the roughest expeditions of the mem- 
orable war of Granada, always insisting on leading his own 
troops in person, when the service was of peculiar difficulty 
and danger. Alonzo de Ojeda was formed to signalize himself 
in such a school. Though small of stature, he was well made, 
and of wonderful force and activity, with a towering spirit 
and a daring eye that seemed to make up for deficiency of 
height. He was a bold and graceful horseman, an excellent 
foot soldier, dexterous with every weapon, and noted for his 
extraordinary skill and adroitness in all feats of strength and 
agility. 

He must have been quite young when he followed the duke 
of Medina Cell, as page, to the Moorish wars : for he was but 
about twenty-one years of age when he accompanied Colum- 
bus in his second voyage; he had already, however, distin- 
guished himself by his enterprising spirit and headlong valour ; 
and his exploits during that voyage contributed to enhance his 
reputation. He returned to Spain with Columbus, but did not 
accompany hun in his third voyage, in the spring of 1498. He 
was probably impatient of subordination, and ambitious of a 
separate employment or command, which the influence of his 
connexions gave him a great chance of obtaining. He had a 
cousin-german of his own name, the reverend Padre Alonzo de 
Ojeda, a Dominican friar, who was one of the first inquisitors 
of Spain, and a great favourite with the Catholic sovereigns.* 
This father inquisitor was, moreover, an intimate friend of the 
bishop Don Juan Rodriguez Fonseca, who had the chief man- 
agement of the affairs of the Indies, under which general namxc 
were comprehended all the countries discovered in the new 



* Pizarro. Varones Ilustres. 



ALONZO BE OJEDA. \\ 

world. Through the good offices of his cousin inquisitor, there- 
fore, Ojeda had been introduced to the notice of the bishop, 
who took him into his especial favour and patronage. Men- 
tion has already been made, in the History of Columbus, of a 
present made by the bishop to Ojeda of a small Flemish paint- 
ing of the Holy Virgin. This the young adventiu-er carried 
about with him as a protecting rehc, invoking it at all times of 
peril, whether by sea or land ; and to the special care of the 
Virgin he attributed the remarkable circumstance that he had 
never been wounded in any of the innumerable brawls and 
battles into which he was continually betrayed by his rash and 
fiery temperament. 

While Ojeda was Hngering about the court, letters were 
received from Columbus, giving an account of the events of 
his third voyage, especially of his discovery of the coast of 
Paria, which he described as abounding with drugs and spices, 
with gold and silver, and precious stones, and, above all, with 
oriental pearls, and v.^hich he supposed to be the borders of 
that vast and unknown region of the East, wherein, according 
to certain learned theorists, was situp.ted the terrestrial para- 
dise. Specimens of the pearls, procured in considerable quan- 
tities from the natives, accompanied his epistle, together with 
charts descriptive of his route. These tidings caused a great 
sensation among the maritime adventurers of Spain; but no 
one was more excited by them than Alonzo de Ojeda, who, 
from his intimacy with the bishop, had full access to the 
charts and correspondence of Columbus. He immediately 
conceived the project of making a voyage in the route thus 
marked out by the admiral, and of seizing upon the first fruits 
of discovery which he had left ungathered. His scheme met 
with ready encouragement from Fonseca, who, as has hereto- 
fore been shown, was an implacable enemy to Columbus, and . 
willing to promote any measure that might injure or molest^ 
him. The bishop accordingly granted a commission to Ojeda, 
authorizing him to fit out an armament and proceed on a 
voyage of discovery, with the proviso merely that he should 
not visit any territories appertaining to Portugal, or any of 
the lan^s discovered in the name of Spain previous to the year 
1495. The latter part of this provision appears to have been 
craftily worded by the bishop, so as to leave the coast of Paria 
and its pearl fisheries open to Ojeda, they having been recently 
discovered by Columbus in 1498. 

The commission was signed by Fonseca alone, in virtue of 



12 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

general powers vested in him for such purposes, but the signa- 
ture of the sovereigns did not appear on the instrument, and 
it is doubtful whether their sanction was sought on the occa- 
sion. He knew that Columbus had recently remonstrated 
against a royal mandate issued in 1495, permitting voyages of 
discovery, by private adventurers, and that the sovereigns 
had in consequence revoked their mandate wherever it might 
be deemed prejudicial to the stipulated privileges of the 
admiral.* It is probable, therefore, that the bishop avoided 
raising any question that might impede the enterprise ; being 
confident of the ultimate approbation of Ferdinand, who 
would be well pleased to have his dominions in the new world 
extended by the discoveries of private adventurers, under- 
taken at their own expense. It was stipulated in this, as well 
as in subsequent licenses for private expeditions, that a certain 
proportion of the profits, generally "^ fourth or fifth, should be 
reserved for the crown. 

Having thus obtained permis^'^n to make the voyage, the 
next consideration with Ojeda w ..^ to find the means. He was 
a young adventurer, a mere soldier of fortune, and destitute of 
wealth ; but he had a high reputation for courage and enter- 
prise, and with these, it was thought, would soon make his 
way to the richest parts of the newly discovered lands, and 
have the wealth of the Indies at his disposal. He had no diffi- 
culty, therefore, in finding monied associates among the rich 
merchants of Seville, who, in that ago of discovery, were ever 
ready to stake their property upon the schemes of roving navi- 
gators. With such assistance he soon equipped a squadron of 
four vessels at Port St. Mary, opposite Cadiz. Among the 
seamen who engaged with him were several who had just 
returned from accompanying Columbus in his voyage to this 
very coast of Paria. The principal associate of Ojeda, and one 
on whom he placed great reliance, was Juan de la Cosa ; who 
accompanied him as first mate, or, as it was termed, chief pilot. 
This was a bold Biscayan, who may be regarded as a disciple 
of Columbus, with whom he had sailed in his second voyage, 
when he coasted Cuba and Jamaica, and he had since accom- 
panied Rodrigo de Bastides, in an expedition along the coast of 
Terra Firma. The hardy veteran was looked up to by his con- 
temporaries as an oracle of the seas, and was pronounced one 
of the most able mariners of the day; he may be excused. 



* Navarrete, t ii. Document, cxiii. 



ALONZO DE OJEDA. 13 

therefore, if in his harmless vanity he considered himself on a 
par even with ColLmibus.* 

Another conspicuous associate of Ojeda, in this voyage, was 
■Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine merchant, induced by broken 
fortunes and a rambhng disposition to seek adventures in the 
new world. Whether he had any pecuniary interest in the 
expedition, and in what capacity he sailed, does not appear. 
His importance has entirely arisen from subsequent circum- 
stances ; from his having written and pubhshed a narrative of 
his voyages, and from his name having eventually been given 
to the new world. 



CHAPTER II. 



DEPARTURE FROM SPAIN — ARRIVAL ON THE COAST OP PARIA — 
CUSTOMS OF THE NATIONS. 

Ojeda sailed from Port St. Mary on the 20th of May, 1499, 
and, having touched for supphes at the Canaries, took a depar- 
ture from Gomara, pursuing the route of Columbus, in his 
third voyage, being guided by the chart he had sent home, at 
well as by the mariners who had accompanied him on that 
occasion. At the end of twenty-four days he reached the 
contir^nt of the new world, about two hundred leagues far- 
ther south than the part discovered by Columbus, being, as it 
is supposed, the coast of Surinam. f 

From hence he ran along the coast of the Gulf of Paria, 
passing the mouths of many rivers, but especially those of the 
Esqulvo and the Oronoko. These, to the astonishment of 
the Spaniards, unaccustomed as yet to the mighty rivers of 
the new world, poured forth such a prodigious volume of 
water, as to freshen the sea for a great extent. They beheld 
none of the natives until they arrived at the Island of Trini- 
dad, on whic^ island they met with traces of the recent visit 
of Columbus. 

Vespucci, in his letters, gives a long description of the people 
of this island and of the coast of Paria, who were of the Carib 
race, tall, well-made and vigorous, and expert with the bow, 
the lance, and the buckler. His description, in general, resem- 

N&YftrfJtte, Collec. Viag., t. iu., p. 4. tNavarrete, t. iii., p. 211. 



14 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

bles those which have frequently been given of the Aboriginals 
of the new world ; there are two or three particulars, however, 
worthy of citation. 

They appeared, he said, to beheve in no reHgious creed, to 
have no place of worship, and to make no prayers or sac- 
rifices; but, he adds, from the voluptuousness of their hves, 
they might be considered Epicureans.* Their habitations 
were built in the shape of bells ; 'of the trunks of trees, thatched 
with palm leaves, and were proof against wind and weather. 
They appeared to be in common, and some of them were of 
such magnitude as to contain six hundred persons: in one 
place there were eight principal houses capable of sheltering 
nearly ten thousand inhabitants. Every seven or eight years 
the natives were obhged to change their residence, from the 
maladies engendered by the heat of the chmate in their 
crowded habitations. 

Their riches consisted in beads and ornaments made from 
the bones of fishes; in small white and green stones strung 
like rosaries, with which they adorned their persons, and in 
the beautifiil plumes of various colours for which the tropical 
birds are noted. 

The Spaniards smiled at their simphcity in attaching an 
extraordinary value to such worthless trifles ; while the sav- 
ages, in all probabihty, were equally surprised at beholding 
the strangers so eager after gold, and pearls and precious 
stones, which to themselves were objects of indifference. 

Their manner of treating the dead was surdlar to that ob- 
served among the natives of some of the islands. Having 
deposited the corpse in a cavern or sepulchre, they placed a jar 
of water and a few eatables at its head, and then abandoned 
it without moan or lamentation. In some parts of the coast, 
when a person was considered near his end, his nearest rela- 
tives bore him to the woods and laid him in a hammock sus- 
pended to the trees. They then danced round him until 
evening, when, having left within his reach sufficient meat 
and drink to sustain him for four days, they repaired to their 
habitations. If he recovered and returned home, he was re- 
ceived with much ceremony and rejoicing; if he died of his 
malady or of famine, nothing more was thought of him. 

Their mode of treating a fever is also worthy of mention. 
In the height of the malady they plunged the patient in a bath 

* Viages de Vespucei. Navarrete, t. iii., p. 211. 



ALOSZO BE OJEDA. 15 

of the ooldeei water, after which they oUiged him to make 
many eviofaitioDS roimd a great fire, until he was in a violent 
heat, wfaea tlii^ pot him to hed. that he mi^t sie^: a tieat- 
meot, adds Amezjgo^Ve^Hioci, by which we saw many cored. 



CHAPTER HL 
Oj^?nyG OF Tzs^A flr^a— >£elitap.t expedition of ojeda. 

ATTESL touching at various pans of Trinidad and the GuH 
of Paria. Ojeda passed through the steait of the Boca d^ 
Drar: :r I^r?,r3n*s Mouth, whidi Gc^mnbos had found so 
fonii: 1 .^T .i then steered his course akxig the coast c^ 
Terra Tirna. L'.Tiding occasioiially until he arrived at Cnriaiia^ 
or the Gulf oi Pearis. Frooi hence he stood to the appooAe 
island of Mazganta. previously discovered by Ocdumbus, and 
since leno w ii ed for its pearl fishery. This, as well as several 
adjacent i^sunAa he visited asA ex^ored : after which he re- 
turned to tiie mAJn land, and touched at Cumana and 3£ara- 
capana, whore he found the rivers infested wiOi aHigatois le- 
semfahng the crooodfls c^ tiie NUe. 

Knding a convenient harbour at MaracgqwTia he iiiil':-ade>i 
and careened his 'veasds thore. and built a small bragantine. 
The natives came to fannin great numh^s. brii^mg abundance 
of venison, fidi, and cassava bread, and aiding tiie seamen in 
tiieir labouTEL Their hospitality was not coiainly disinter- 
ested, for they soug^ to gain tiie {Hotectiffli<tf tiie S^nniaids, 
whom they rev e pai ced as superhuman bdngs. When they 
thought they had snfl&sentiy secured tiieir favour, tiiey r^re- 
sented to Qjeda that thar coast was subject to invasion from 
a digfamt island, the inhahitants of which were cannibals, and 
carried their pec^^ into captivity, to be devoured at their 
unnatural banquets. They besoug^ Ojeda. tber^ore. to 
avenge them upcn these tetxaooB eianies. 

The request was gratifying to tiie fighting propensitieB oi 
Alomeo de Ojeda, and to his love of adviraiture, and was readily 
granted. Taking seven dl the natives on board of his veasdb, 
as guides, he s^ S£ul in quest of the cannibnK 
for seven days he came to a chain of island i?^ 



le SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

some of which were peopled, others uninhabited, and which 
are supposed to have been the Carribee islands. One of these 
was pointed out by his guides as the habitation of their foes. 
On running near the shore he beheld it thronged with savage 
warriors, decorated with coronets of gaudy plumes, their 
bodies painted with a variety of colours. They were armed 
with bows and arrows, with darts, lances, and bucklers, and 
seemed prepared to defend their island from invasion. 

This show of war was calculated to rouse the martial spirit 
of Ojeda. He brought his ships to anchor, ordered out his 
boats, and provided each with a paterero or small cannon. 
Beside the oarsmen, each boat contained a number of soldiers, 
wh« were told to crouch out of sight in the bottom. The 
boats then pulled in steadily for the shore. As they ap- 
proached, the Indians let fly a cloud of arrows, but without 
much effect. Seeing the boats continue to advance, the sav- 
ages threw themselves into the sea, and brandished their lances 
to prevent their landing. Upon this, the soldiers sprang up in 
the boats and discharged the patereroes. At the soimd and 
smoke of these unknown weapons the savages abandoned the 
water in affright, while Ojeda and his men leaped on shore 
and pursued them. The Carib warriors rallied on the banks, 
and fought for a long time with that courage peculiar to their 
race, but were at length driven to the woods, at the edge of the 
sword, leaving many killed and wounded on the field of battle. 

On the following day the savages were seen on the shore in 
still gi'eater nmnbers, armed and painted, and decorated with 
war plumes, and sounduig defiance with their conchs and 
dnims. Ojeda again landed fifty-seven men, whom he sep- 
arated into four companies, and ordered them to charge the 
enemy from different directions. The Caribs fought for a 
time hand to hand, displaying great dexterity in covering 
themselves with their bucklers, but were at length entirely 
routed and driven, with great slaughter, to the forests. The 
Spaniards had but one man killed and twenty-one wounded in 
these combats, — such superior advantage did their armour 
give them over the naked savages. Having plundered and set 
fire to the houses, they returned triumphantly to their ships, 
with a number of Carib captives, and made sail for the main 
land. Ojeda bestowed a part of the spoil upon the seven 
Indians who had accompanied him as guides, and sent them 
exulting to their homes, to relate to their countrymen the 
signal vengeance that had been wreaked upon their foes. He 



ALOXZO DE OJElJA. \^ 

then anchored in a bay. where he remained for twenty days, 
until his men had recovered from their wounds.* 



CHAPTEE IV. 



DIBOOVERT OF THE GULF OF VE>-i:zrELA— TEAySACTI05"S THERE 
— OJEDA EXPLORES THE GULF— PENETRATES TO MAEACAIBO. 

His crew being refreshed, and the wounded sufficiently re- 
covered. Ojeda made sail, and touched at the island of Curazao. 
which, according to the accounts of Vespucci, was inhabited by 
a race of g-iants, ' ' every woman appearing a Penthesilea. and 
every man an Antseus."t As Vespucciw as a s<:holar. and as he 
supposed himself exploring the regions of the extreme East, the 
ancient realm of fable, it is probable his imagination deceived 
him, and construed the formidable accounts given by the In- 
dicin:- of their cannibal neighbours of the islands, into some- 
thing according with his recollections of classic fable. Certain 
it is, that the reports of subser^uent voyagers proved the iii- 
halHtants of the island to be of the ordinary size. 

Proceeding along the coast, he arrived at a vast deep gulf, 
resembling a tranquil lake : entering which, he beheld on the 
eastern side a village, the construction of which struck him 
with surprise. It consisted of twenty large houses, shaped Like 
bells, and builv on piles driven into the bottom of the lake, 
which, in this part, was Limpid and of but httle depth. Each 
house was provided with a drawbridge, and with canoc-s. by 
which the communication was carried on. From these resem- 
blances to the Italian city, Ojeda gave to the bay the name of 
the Gulf of Venice : and it is called at the present day Vene- 
zuela, or Little Venice : the Indian, name was Co^quibacoa. 

When the inhabitants beheld the ships standing into the 
bay, looking like wonderful and unknown apparitions from the 
deep, they fled with terror to their houses, and raised the 
drawbridges. The Spaniards remaine<i for a time gazing with 



* There is some discrepance in the early accoiitits of this battle, as to the time 
and place of ita occurrence. The author has collated the narratires of Vespucci, 
Las Casas. Herrera. and Peter ilartvr. and the evidence givr-n in the law-suit of 
Diego Columbus, and has endeavoured as much as possible to reconcile them. 

t Vespucci.— Letter to Lorenzo de Pier Francisco de Medicis. 



ig SPAJsriSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

admiration at this amphibious village, when a squadron of 
canoes entered the harbour from the sea. On beholding the 
ships they paused in mute amazement, and on the Spaniards 
attempting to approach them, paddled swiftly to shore, and 
plunged into the forest. They soon returned with sixteen 
young girls, whom they conveyed in their canoes to the ships, 
distributing four on board of each, either as peace-offerings or 
as tokens of amity and confidence. The best of understanding 
now seemed to be established ; and the inhabitants of the vil- 
lage came swarming about the ships in their canoes, and others 
swimming in great numbers from the shores. 

The friendship of the savages, however, was all delusive. |0n 
a sudden, several old women at the doors of the houses uttered 
loud shrieks, tearing their hair in fury. It appeared to be a 
signal for hostility. The sixteen nymphs plunged into the sea 
and made for shore; the Indians in the canoes caught up 
their bows and discharged a flight of arrows, and even those 
who were swimming brandished darts and lances, which they 
had hitherto concealed beneath the water. 

Ojeda was for a moment surprised at seeing war thus start- 
ing up on every side, and the very sea bristling with weapons. 
Manning his boats, he immediately charged among the thick- 
est of the enemy, shattered and sunk several of their canoes, 
killed twenty Indians and wounded many more, and spread 
such a panic among them, that most of the survivors flung 
themselves into the sea and swam to shore. Three of them 
were taken prisoners, and two of the fugitive girls, and were 
conveyed on board of the ships, where the men were put in 
irons. One of them, however, and the two girls, succeeded in 
dexterously escaping the same night. 

Ojeda had but five men wounded in the affray, all of whom 
recovered. He visited the houses, but found them abandoned 
and destitute of booty ; notwithstanding the unprovoked hos- 
tihty of the inhabitants, he spared the buildings, that he might 
not cause useless irritation along the coast. 

Continuing to explore this gulf r Ojeda penetrated to a port 
or harbour, to which he gave the name of St. Bartholomew, 
but which is supposed to be the same at present known by the 
original Indian name of Maracaibo. Here, in comphance with 
the entreaties of the natives, he sent a detachment of twenty- 
seven Spaniards on a visit to the interior. For nine days they 
were conducted from town to town, and feasted and almost 
idolized by the Indians, who regarded them as angelic beings. 



ALOXZO BE OJEDA. 19 

performing their national dances and games, and chaimting 
their traditional ballads for their entertainment. 

The natives of this part were distinguished for the symme- 
try of their forms ; the females in. particular appeared to the 
Spaniards to surpass all others that they had yet beheld in the 
new world for gi-ace and beauty : neither did the men evince, 
in the least degree, that jealousy which prevailed in other 
parts of the coast ; but. on the contrary, permitted the most 
frank and intimate intercom'se with theii' wives and daughters. 

By the time the Spaniards set out on their return to the ship, 
the whole country was ai'oused. pouriug forth its population, 
male and female, to do them honour. Some bore them in ht- 
ters or hammocks, that they might not be fatigued with the 
journey, and happy was the Indian who had the honour of 
beariQg a Spaniard on his shoulders across a river. Others 
loaded themselves with the presents that had been bestowed on 
their guests, consisting of rich plumes, weapons of various 
kinds, and tropical birds and animals. In this way they re- 
turned in triumphant procession to the ships, the woods and 
shores i^sounding vdXh. then- songs and shouts. 

Many of the Indians crowded into the boats that took 
the detachment to the ships; othei^ put off in canoes, or 
swam from shore, so that in a httle while the vessels were 
thronged with upwards of a thousand wondering natives. 
"While gazing and marveUing at the strange objects around 
them Ojeda ordered the cannon to be discharged, at the sound 
of which, says Vespucci, the Indians ' ' plunged into the water, 
like so many frogs from a bank." Perceiving, however, that 
it was done in harniless mirth, they returned on board, and 
passed the rest of the day in great festivity. The Spaniards 
brought away with them several of the beautiful and hospitable 
females from this place, one of whom, named by them Isabel, 
was much prized by Ojeda. and accompanied him in a subse- 
quent voyage.* 



*Navarette, t. iii., p. 8. Idem. pp. 107. 108. 

It is worthy of particular mention that Ojeda. in his report of his voyage to the 
Sovereigrns. informed them of his having met -nith English voyagers in the vicinity 
of Coquibacoa. and that the Spauibh government attached such importance to his 
information as to take measures to prevent any iatrusion into those parts by the 
English. It is singular that no record should exist of this early and extensive ex- 
pedition of English navigators. If it was undertaken in the service of the Crown, 
some document might be found concerning it among the archives of the reign of 
Henry VIL The English had already discovered the continent of North America. 
Tiiis had been done in 1497, by John Cabot, a Venetian, accompanied by his son 



20 SPANISE VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT, 

CHAPTER V. • 

PROSECUTION OF THE VOYAGE— RETURN TO SPAIN. 

Leaving the friendly port of Coquibacoa, Ojeda continued 
along the western shores of the gulf of Venezuela, and standing 
out to sea, and doubling Cape Maracaibo, he pursued his 
coasting voyage from port to port, and promontory to promon- 
tory, of this unknown continent, until he reached that long 
stretching headland called Cape de la Vela. There, the state 
of his vessels, and perhaps the disappointment of his hopes at 
not meeting with abundant sources of immediate wealth, 
induced him to abandon aU further voyaging along the coast, 
and, changing his course, he stood across the Caribbean Sea for 
Hispaniola. The tenor of his commission forbade his visiting 
that iaiand; but Ojeda was not a man to stand upon trifles' 
when his interest or inclination prompted the contrary. He 
trusted to excuse the infraction of his orders by the alleged 
necessity of touching at the island to caulk and refit his ves- 
sels, and to procure provisions. His true object, however, is 
supposed to have been to cut dyewood, which abounds in the 
western part of Hispaniola. 

He accordingly anchored at Yaquimo in September, and 
landed with a large party of his men. Columbus at that time 
held command of the island, and, hearing of this unlicensed 
intrusion, despatched Francesco Roldan, the quondam rebel, 
to call Ojeda to account. The contest of stratagem and man- 
agement that took place between these two adroit and daring 
adventurers has already been detailed m the History of Colum- 
bus. Roldan was eventually successful, and Ojeda, being 
obhged to leave Hispaniola, resumed his rambling voyage, vis- 
iting various islands, from whence he carried off numbers of 
the natives. He at length arrived at Cadiz, in June, 1500, 
with his ships crowded with captives, whom he sold as slaves. 



Sebastian, who was born in Bristol. They sailed under a license of Henry VH., who 
was to have a fifth of the profits of the voyage. On the 34th June they dis- 
covered Newfoundland, and afterwards coasted the continent quite to Florida, 
bringing back to England a valuable cargo and several of the natives. This was the 
first discovery of the mainland of America. The success of this expedition may 
have prompted the one which Ojeda encountered in the neighbourhood of Coqui- 
bacpa. 



ALONZO BE OJEDA. 21 

So meagre, however, was the result of this expedition, that we 
are told, when all the expenses were deducted, but five hun- 
dred ducats remained to be divided between fifty-five adven- 
turers. What made this result the more mortifying was, that 
a petty armament which had sailed sometime after that of 
Ojeda, had returned two months before him, rich with the 
spoils of the New "World. A brief account of this latter expe-* 
dition is necessary to connect this series of minor discoveries. 



22 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY, 



PEDRO ALONZO NINO* AND CHRISTOVAL 
GUERRA.-(1499.) 



The permission granted by Bishop Fonseca to Alonzo de 
Ojeda, to undertake a private expedition to the New World, 
roused the emulation of others of the followers of Columbus. 
Among these was Pedro Alonzo Niuo, a hardy seaman, native 
of Moguer in the vicinity of Palos, who had sailed with Colum- 
bus, as a pilot, in his first voyage, and also in his cruisings 
along the coasts of Cuba and Paria.t He soon obtatued from 
the bishop a similar license to that given to Ojeda, and, like 
the latter, sought for some monied confederate among the 
rich merchants of Seville. One of these, named Luis Guerra, 
offered to fit out a caravel for the expedition ; but on condition 
that his brother, Christoval Guen-a, should have the command. 
The poverty of Nino compelled him to assent to the stipula- 
tions of the man of wealth, and he sailed as subaltern in his 
own enterprise; but his nautical skill and knowledge soon 
gained him the ascendancy, he became virtually the captaiu, 
and ultimately enjoyed the whole credit of the voyage. 

The bark of these two adventurers was but of fifty tons bur- 
then, and the crew thirty -three souls all told. With this slen- 
der armament they undertook to traverse unknown and dan- 
gerous seas, and to explore the barbarous shores of that vast 
continent recently discovered by Columbus ;— such was the 
darmg spirit of the Spanish voyagers of those days. 

It was about the beginning of June, 1499, and but a few days 
after the departure of Ojeda, that they put to sea. They 
sailed from the Httle port of Palos, the original cradle of Amer- 
ican discovery, whose brave and skilful mariners long contin- 
ued foremost in aU enterprises to the New World. Being 
guided by the chart of Columbus, they followed his route, and 



* Pronounced Ninyo. The N in Spanish is alwaj's pronounced as if followed by 
the letter y. 
i Testimony of Bastides in the law-suit of Diego Columbus. 



PEDno ALoyzo yiS'o and CHRISTOVAL GUERRA. 23 

reached the southern continent, a little beyond Paria. about 
fifteen days after the same coast had been visited by Ojeda. 

They then proceeded to the gulf of Paria. where they landed 
to cut dye-wood, and were amicably entertained by the 
natives. Shortly after, sallying from the gulf by the Boca del 
Drago. they encoimtered eighteen canoes of Caribs. the pirate- 
rovers of these seas and the teiTor of the bordering lands. 
This savage armada, instead of being daimted as usual by the 
sight of a Em^opean ship with swelhng sails, resembling s<jme . 
winged monster of the deep, considered it only as an object of 
plunder or hostihty. and assailed it with showers of arrows. 
The sudden bm^st of artillery, however, from the sides of the 
caravel and the havoc made among the Caribs by this seeming 
thunder, struck them with dismay and they fled in all dii-ec- 
tions. The Spaniards succeeded in captm-ing one of the canoes, 
with one of the waiTiors who had manned it. In the bottom 
of the canoe lay an Indian prisoner bound hand and foot. On 
being hberated. he informed the Spaniards by signs that these 
Caribs had been on a mamuding expedition along the neigh- 
bouring coasts, shutting themselves up at night in a stockade 
which they cai'iied with them, and issuing forth by day to 
plunder the villages and to make captives. He had been 
one of seven prisoners. His companions had been devoured 
before his eyes at the caimibal banquets of these savages, and 
he had been awaiting the same miserable fate. Honest Nino 
and his confederates were so indignant at this recital, that, 
receiving it as estabhshed fact, they performed what they con- 
sidered an act of equitable justice, by abandoning the Carib to 
the discretion of his late captive. The latter feU upon the 
defenceless warrior with fist and foot and cudgel ; nor did his 
rage subside even after the breath had been mauled out of his 
victim, but, tearing the gi-im head from the body, he placed it 
on a pole as a trophy of Ms vengeance. 

Niiio and his fellow-adventiu'ers now steered for the island 
of Margarita, where they obtained a considerable quantity of 
pearls by barter. They afterwards skirted the opposite coast 
of Cumana, trading cautiously and shrewdly from port to port, 
sometimes remaining on board of their Uttle bark, and obhging 
the savages to come off to them, when the latter appeared too 
numerous, at other times venturing on shore, and even into 
the interior. Tliey were invariably treated with amity by the 
natives, who were perfectly naked, excepting that they were 
adorned with necklaces and bracelets of pearls. These they 



M SPAmSU yOYAGBti OF MscoveeY. 

soDieiimes gave freely to the Spaniards, at other times they 
exchanged them for glass beads and other trinkets, and 
smiled at the folly of the strangers in making such silly bar- 
gains.* 

The Spaniards were struck with the grandeur and density 
of the forests along this coast, for in these regions of heat 
and moisture, vegetation appears in its utmost magnificence. 
They heard also the cries and roarings of wild and unknown 
animals in the woodlands, which, however, appeared not to be 
very dangerous, as the Indians went about the forest armed 
solely with bows and arrows. From meeting with deer and 
rabbits, they were convinced that that was a part of Terra 
Firma, not having found any animals of the kind on the 
islands.! 

Nino and Guerra were so well pleased with the hospitality 
of the natives of Cumana, and with the profitable traffic far 
pearls, by which they obtained many of great size and beauty,, 
that they remained upwards of three months on the coast. 

They then proceeded westward to a country called Cauchieto,. 
trading as usual for pearls, and for the inferior kind of gold 
called guanin. At length they arrived at a place where there 
was a kind of fortress protecting a number of houses and 
gardens situated on a river, the whole forming to the eyes of 
the Spaniards one of the most delicious abodes imaginable. 
They were about to land and enjoy the pleasures of this 
fancied paradise, when they beheld upwards of a thousand 
Indians, armed with bows and arrows and war-clubs, prepar- 
ing to give them a warm reception; having been probably 
incensed by the recent visit of Ojeda. As Niiio and Guerra 
had not the fighting propensities of Ojeda, and were in cfuest 
of profit rather than renown, having, moreover, in aU proba- 
bility, the fear of the rich merchant of Seville before their 
eyes, they prudently abstained from landing, and, abandoning 
this hostile coast, returned forthwith to Cumana to resume 
their trade for pearls. They soon amassed a great number, 
many of which were equal in size and beauty to the most cele- 
brated of the East, though they had been injured in boring 
from a want of proper implements. 

Satisfied with their success they now set sail for Spain, and 
piloted their little bark safely to Bayonne in GaUicia, where 
they anchored about the middle of April, 1500, nearly two 

* Las Casas. Hist. Ind., lib. i. c. 171. t Navarrete, t. iii. p. 14. 



PEDRO ALONZO Ni:^0 AND CHRISTOVAL GUERRA. 25 

months before the arrival of Ojeda and his associates, La Cosa 
and Vespucci.* 

The most successful voyagers to the New World were doomed 
to trouble from their very success. The ample amount of 
pearls paid to the treasury, as the royal portion of the profits 
of this expedition, drew suspicion instead of favour upon the 
two adventurers. They were accused of having concealed a 
great part of the pearls collected by them, thus defrauding 
their companions and the crown. Pedro Alorizo Nino was 
actually thrown into prison on this accusation, but, nothing 
being proved against him, was eventually set free, and enjoyed 
the enviable reputation of having performed the richest 
voyage that had yet been made to the New World. t 

* Peter Martyr. Other historians give a different date for their arrival. Herrerji, 
says Feb. 6. 
t Navarrete. Collect, t, iii. p. 11. Herrera, d. i. 1. iv. c. v, 



26 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VERT. 



VICENTE YANEZ P1NZ0N.-(1499). 



Among the maiitime adventurers of renown who were 
roused to action by the Hcenses granted for private expeditions 
of discovery, we find conspicuous the name of Vicente Yanez 
Pinzon, of Palos, one of the three brave brothers who aided 
Columbus in his first voyage and risked Hfe and fortune with 
him in his doubtful and perilous enterprise. 

Of Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the eldest and most important of 
these three brothers, particular mention has been made in the 
History of Columbus, and of the unfortunate error in conduct 
which severed him from the admiral, brought on him the dis- 
pleasure of the sovereigns, and probably contributed to his 
premature and melancholy death. 

Whatever cloud of disgrace may have overshadoAved his 
family, it was but temporary. The death of Martin Alonzo, 
as usual, atoned for his faults, and his good deeds lived after 
him. The merits and services of himself and his brothers 
were acknowledged, and the survivors of the family were 
restored to royal confidence. A feehng of jealous hostility 
prevented them from taking a part in the subsequent voyages 
of Columbus ; but the moment the door was thrown open for 
individual enterprise, they pressed forward for permission to 
engage in it at their own risk and expense — and it was readily 
granted. In fact, their supposed hostility to Columbus was 
,one of the surest recommendations they cotdd have to the 
favour of the Bishop Fonseca, by whom, the license was issued 
for their expedition. 

Vicente Yaiiez Pinzon was the leader of this new enterprise, 
and he was accompanied by two nephews named Ai'ias Perez 
and Diego Fernandez, sons of his late brother, Martin Alonzo 
Pinzon. Several of his sailors had sailed with Columbus in 
his recent voyage to Paria, as had also his three principal 
pilots, Juan Quintero, Juan de Umbria, and Juan de Jerez. 
Thus tbe^e min^r voyages seemed all to emanate from the 



VICENTE YA:^EZ PtNZON. 27 

great expeditions of Columbus, and to aim at realizing the 
ideas and speculations contained in the papers transmitted by 
him to Spain. 

The armament consisted of four caravels, and was fitted out 
at the port of Palos. The funds of Vicente Yaiiez were com- 
pletely exhausted before he had fitted out his little nquadron ; 
he was obliged, therefore, to purchase on credit the sea-stores 
and articles of traffic necessary for the enterprise. The mer- 
chants of Palos seemed to have known how to profit by the 
careless nature of sailors and the sanguine spirit of dis- 
coverers. In their bargains they charged honest Pinzon 
eighty and a hundred per cent, above the market value of 
their merchandise, and in the hurry and urgency of the 
moment he was obliged to submit to the imposition.* 

The squadron put to sea in the beginning of December, 1499, 
and, after passing the Canary and Cape de Verde Islands, stood 
to the south-west. Having sailed about seven hundred leagues, 
they crossed the equator and lost sight of the north star. 
They had scarcely passed the equinoctial line when they 
encountered a terrible tempest, which had weU-nigh swallowed 
up their slender barks. The storm passed away and the 
firmament was again serene ; but the mariners remained tossing 
about in confusion, dismayed by the turbulence of the waves 
and the strange aspect of the heavens. They looked in vain to 
the south for some polar star by which to shape their course, 
and fancied that some swelling prominence of the globe con- 
cealed it from their view. They knew nothing as yet of the 
firmament of that hemisphere, nor of that beautiful constella- 
tion, the southern cross, but expected to find a g^iiding star at 
the opposite pole, similar to the cynosure of the north. 

Pinzon, however, who was of an intrepid spirit, pursued his 
course resolutely to the west, and after sailing about two hun- 
dred and forty leagues, and being in the eighth degree of 
southern latitude, he beheld land afar off on the 28th of 
January, to whicli he gave the name of Santa Maria de la 
Consolacion, from the sight of it having consoled him in the 
midst of doubts and perplexities. It is now called Cape St. 
Augustine, and forms the most prominent part of the immense 
empire of Brazil, 

The sea was turbid and discoloured as in rivers, and on 



* Navarrete, vol. iii. See Doc. No. 7, where Vincente Yaiiez Pinzon petitions for 
redress. 



28 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

sounding they had sixteen fathoms of water. Pinzon landed, 
accompanied by a notary and witnesses, and took formal pos- 
session of the territory for the Castihan crown ; no one appear- 
ed to dispute his pretensions, but he observed the print of 
footsteps on the beach which seemed of gigantic size. 

At night there were fires hghted upon a neighbouring part 
of the coast, which induced Pinzon on the following morning 
to send forty men well armed to the spot. A band of Indians, 
of about equal number, sallied forth to encounter them, armed 
with bows and arrows, and seemingly of extraordinary stature. 
A still greater number were seen in the distance hastening to 
the support of their companions. The Indians arrayed them- 
selves for combat, and the two parties remained for a short 
time eyeing each other with mutual curiosity and distrust. 
The Spaniards now displayed looking-glasses, beads, and other 
trinkets, and jingled strings of hawks' bells, in general so capti- 
vating to an Indian ear ; but the haughty savages treated all 
their overtures with contempt, regardiug these offerings care- 
lessly for a short time, and then stalking off with stoic gravity. 
They were ferocious of feature, and apparently warlike in dis- 
position, and are supposed to have been a wandering race of 
unusual size, who roamed about in the night, and were of the 
most fierce, untractable nature. By nightfall there was not an 
Indian to be seen in the neighbourhood. 

Discouraged by the inhospitable character of the coast, Pin- 
zon made sail and stood to the north-west, until he came to the 
mouth of a river too shallow to receive his ships. Here he 
sent his boats on shore with a number of men well armed. 
They landed on the river banks, and beheld a multitude of 
naked Indians on a neighbouring hill. A single Spaniard armed 
simply with sword and buckler was sent to invite them to 
friendly intercourse. He approached them with signs of amity, 
and threw to them a hawk's bell. They replied to him with 
similar signs, and threw to him a small gilded wand. The 
soldier stooped to pick it up, when suddenly a troop of sav- 
ages rushed down to seize him ; he threw himself inunediately 
upon the defensive, mth sword and target, and though but a 
small man, and far from robust, he handled his weapons with 
such dexterity and fierceness, that he kept the savages at bay,, 
making a clear circle round him, and wounding several whO' 
attempted to break it. His unlooked-for prowess surprised 
and confounded his assailants, and gave time for his comrades; 
to come to his assistance. The Indians then mad© a general 



VICENTE TaPeZ PlNZOlf. 29 

assault, with such a gaUing discharge of darts and arrows that 
almost immediately eight or ten Spaniards were slain, and 
many more wounded. The latter were compelled to retreat to 
their boats disputing ©very inch of ground. The Indians pur- 
sued them even into the water, surrounding the boats and 
seizing hold of the oars. The Spaniards made a desperate 
defence, thrusting many through with their lances, and cutting 
down and ripping up others with their swords ; but such was 
the ferocity of the survivors, that they persisted in their at- 
tack until they overpowered the crew of one of the boats, and 
bore it off in triumph. With this they retired from the com- 
bat, and the Spaniards returned, defeated and disheartened, to 
their ships, having met with the roughest reception that the 
Europeans had yet experienced in the New World. 

Pinzon now stood forty leagues to the north-west, until he 
arrived in the neighboxu-hood of the equinoctial line. Here 
he found the water of the sea so fresh that he was enabled to 
replenish his casks with it. Astonished at so singular a phe- 
nomenon he stood in for the land, and arrived among a number 
of fresh and verdant islands, inhabited by a gentle and hospi- 
table race of people, gaily painted, who came off to the ships 
with the most frank and fearless confidence. Pinzon soon 
found that these islands lay in the mouth of an immense river, 
more than thirty leagues in breadth, the water of which entered 
upwards of forty leagues into the- sea before losing its sweet- 
ness. It was, in fact, the renowned Maranon, since known as 
the Orellana and the Amazon. While lying in the mouth of 
this river there was a sudden swelling of the stream, which, 
being opposed by the current of the sea, and straitened by the 
narrow channels of the islands, rose more than five fathoms, 
with mountain waves, and a tremendous noise, threatening 
the destruction of the ships. Pinzon extricated his Httle 
squadron with great diflSculty from this perilous situation, 
and finding there was but little gold or any thing else of value 
to be found among the"simple natives, he requited their hospi- 
tahty, in the mode too common among the early discoverers, 
by carrying off thirty-six of them captive. 

Having regained the sight of the polar star, Pinzon pursued 
his course along the coast, passing the mouths of the Oronoko, 
and entering the Gulf of Paria, where he landed and cut Bra- 
zil-wood. Sallying forth by the Boca del Drago, he reached 
the island of Hispaniola about the 23d of June, from whence 
he sailed for the Bahamas. Here, in the month of July, while 



30 SPAmSB VOYAGES OF DlSCOVEItr. 

at anchor, there came such a tremendous hurricane that two 
of the caravels were swaUowed up with aU their crews in the 
sight of their terrified companions; a tliird parted her cables 
and was driven out to sea, while the fourth was so furiously 
beaten by the tempest that the crew threw themselves into 
the boats and made for shore. Here they found a few naked 
Indians, who offered them no molestation; but, fearing that 
they might spread the tidings of a handful of shipwrecked 
Spamards bemg upon the coast, and thus bring the savages of 
the neighbourmg islands upon them, a council of war was held 
whether it would not be a wise precaution to put these Indians 
to death. Fortunately for the latter, the vessel which had 
been driven from her anchors returned and put an end to the 
alarm, and to the councH of war. The other caravel also rode 
out the storm uninjured, and the sea subsiding, the Spaniards 
returned on board, and made the best of their way to the 
Island of Hispamola. Having repaired the damages sustained 
m the gale, they again made sail for Spain, and came to anchor 
m the nver before Palos about the end of September 

Thus ended one of the most chequered and disastrous voy- 
ages that had yet been made to the New World. Yafiez Pinzon 
had lost two of his ships, and many of his men; what made 
the loss of the latter more grievous was that they had been en- 
listed from among his neighbours, his friends, and relatives 
In fact, the expeditions to the New World must have reahzed 
the terrors and apprehensions of the people of Palos by filhng 
that httle community vdth widows and orphans. When the 
nch merchants, who had sold goods to Pinzon, at a hundred 
per cent, advance, beheld him return in this sorry condition 
with two shattered barks and a handful of poor tattered! 
weather-beaten seamen, they began to tremble for their 
"^"^^^J". ^ ^''''''^''' therefore, had he and his nephews de- 
parted to Granada, to give an account of their discoveries to 
the sovereigns, than the merchants seized upon their caravels 
and cargoes, and began to sell them to repay themselves. Hon- 
est Pinzon immediately addressed a petition to the govern- 
ment, stating the imposition that had been practised upon 
him, and the danger he was in of imprisonment and utter ruin 
should his creditors be allowed to sacrifice his goods at a pub- 
lic sale. He petitioned that they might be compelled to return 
the property thus seized, and that he might be enabled to seU 
three hundred and fifty quintals of Brazil-wood, which he had 
brought back with him, and which would be sufficient to 



VICENTE TA^'EZ PINZOX 31 

satisfy the demands of his creditors. The sovereigns granted 
his prayer. They issued an order to the civil authorities of 
Palos to interfere in the matter, with all possible promptness 
and brevity, allowing no vexatious delay, and administering 
justice so impartially that neither of the parties should have 
cause to complain. 

Pinzon escaped from the fangs of his creditors, but, of 
course, must have suffered in purse from the expenses of the 
law ; which, in Spain, is apt to bury even a successful client 
under an overwhelming mountain of documents and writings. 
We infer this in respect to Pinzon from a royal order issued in 
the following year allowing him to export a quantity of grain, 
in consideration of the heavy losses he had sustained in his 
voyage of discovery. He did but share the usual lot of the 
Spanish discoverers, whose golden anticipations too frequently 
ended in penury; but he is distinguished from among the 
crowd of them by being the first European who crossed the 
Equinoctial line, on the western ocean, and by discovering 
the great kingdom of Brazil.* 



* On the 5th of September, 1501, a royal permission was given to Vicente Yafiez 
Pinzon to colonize and govern the lands he had discovered, beginning a little north 
of the river Amazon, and extending to Cape St. Augustine. The object of the gov- 
ernment in this permission was to establish an outpost and a resolute commander 
on this southern frontier, that should check any intrusions the Portugese might 
make in consequence of the accidental discovery of a part of the coast of Brazil by 
Pedro Alvarez Cabral, in 1500. The subsequent arrangement of a partition line be- 
tween the two countries prevented the necessity of this precaution, and it does not 
appear that Vicente Yafiez Pinzon made any second voyage to those parts. 

In 1506 he undertook an expedition in company with Juan Diaz de Solis, a native 
of Lebrija, the object of which was to endeavour to find the strait or passage sup- 
posed by Columbus to lead from the Atlantic to a southern ocean. It was neces- 
sarily without success, as was also another voyage made by them, for the same 
purpose, in 1508. As no such passage exists, no blame could attach to those able 
navigators for being foiled in the object of their search. 

In consequence of the distinguished merits and services of the Pinzon family they 
were raised, by the emperor Charles V., to the dignity of a Hidalguia, or nobility, 
without any express title, and a coat of arms was granted them, on which were 
emblazoned three caravels, with a hand at the stern pointing to an island covered 
with savages. This coat of arms is still maintained by the family, who have added 
to it the motto granted to Columbus, merely substitotiug the name of Pinzon for 
that of the Admiral, 

A Castile y a Leon, 
Ni:>evo Mundo dio Pinzon. 



32 SPAMSH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERf. 



DIEGO DE LEPE AND RODRIGO DE BASTIDES. 

(15CX).) 



Notwithstanding the hardfships and disasters that had beset 
the voyages to the New World, and the penury in which their 
golden anticipations had too frequently terminated, adventur- 
ers continued to press forward, excited by fresh reports of 
newly-discovered regions, each of which, in its turn was repre- 
sented as the real land of promise. Scarcely had Vicente 
Yanez Pinzon departed on the voyage recently narrated, Avhen 
his townsman, Diego de Lepe, likewise set sail with two 
vessels from the busy little port of Palos on a like expedition. 
No particulars of importance are known of this voyage, 
excepting that Lepe doubled Cape St. Augustine, and beheld 
the southern continent stretching far to the southwest. On re- 
turning to Spain he drew a chart of the coast for the bishop 
Fonseca, and enjoyed the reputation, for upwards of ten years 
afterwards, of having extended his discoveries further south 
than any other voyager. 

Another contemporary adventurer to the New World was 
Rodrigo de Bastides, a wealthy notary of Triana, the suburb of 
Seville inhabited by the maritime part of its population. Be- 
ing sanctioned by the sovereigns, to w^hom he engaged to 
yield a fourth of his profits, he fitted out two caravels in Octo- 
ber, 1500, to go in quest of gold and pearls. 

Prudently distrusting his own judgment in nautical matters, 
this adventurous notary associated with him the veteran pilot 
Juan de la Cosa, the same hardy Biscayan who had sailed 
with Columbus and Ojeda. A general outline of their voyage 
has already been given in the life of Columbus ; it extended the 
discoveries of the coast of Terra Firma from Cape de la Vela, 
where Ojeda had left off, quite to the port of Nombre de Dios. 

Bastides distinguished himself from the mass of discoverers 
by his kind treatment of the natives, and Juan de la Cosa by 
his [sound discretion and his able seamanship. Their voyage 



DIEGO DE LEPE AND RODBIGO DE BA8TIDE8. 33 

had been extremely successful, and they had collected, by 
barter, a great amount of gold and pearls, when their prosper- 
ous career was checked by an unlooked-for evil. Their vessels, 
to their surprise, became leaky in every part, and they discov- 
ered, to their dismay, that the bottoms were pierced in innum- 
erable places by the broma, or worm which abounds in the 
waters of the torrid zone, but of which they, as yet, had 
scarcely any knowledge. It was with great difficulty they 
could keep afloat until they reached a small islet on the coast 
of Hispaniola. Here they repaired their ships as well as they 
were able, and again put to sea to return to Cadiz. A succes- 
sion of gales drove them back to port ; the ravages of the 
worms continued ; the leaks broke out afresh ; they landed the 
most portable and precious part of their wealthy cargoes, and 
the vessels foundered with the remainder. Bastides lost, 
moreover, the arms and ammunition saved from the wreck, 
being obHged to destroy them lest they should fall into the 
hands of the Indians. 

Distributing his men, into three bands, two of them headed 
by La Cosa and himself, they set off for San Domingo by three 
several routes, as the country was not able to furnish provis- 
ions for so large a body. Each band was provided with a 
coffer stored with trinkets and other articles of Indian traffic, 
with which to buy provisions on the road. 

Francisco de Bobadilla, the wrong-headed oppressor and 
superseder of Columbus, was at that time governor of San Do- 
mingo. The report reached him that a crew of adventurers had 
landed on the island, and were marching through the country 
in three bands, each provided with a coffer of gold, and carry- 
ing on illicit trade with the natives. The moment Bastides 
made his appearance, therefore, he was seized and thrown into 
prison, and an investigation commenced. In his defence he 
maintained that his only traffic with the natives was for the 
purpose of procuring provisions for his followers, or guides for 
his journey. It was determined, however, to send him to 
Spain for trial, with the written testimony and the other docu- 
ments of his examination. 

He was accordingly conveyed in the same fleet in which Bo- 
babiUa embarked for Spain, and which experienced such an 
awful shipwreck in the sight of Columbus. The ship Eodrigo 
Bastides was one of the few that outlived the tempest: it 
arrived safe at Cadiz in September, 1502. Bastides was ulti- 
mately acquitted of the charges advanced against him. So 



34 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISC VERY. 

lucrative had been his voyage, that, notwithstanding the losses 
sustained by the foundering of his vessels, he was enabled 
to pay a large siun to the crown as a fourth of his profits, 
and to retain a great amount for himself. In reward ofehis 
services and discoveries the sovereigns granted him an annual 
revenue for life, to arise from the proceeds of the province of 
Uraba, which he had discovered. An equal pension was hke- 
Avise assigned to the hardy Juan de la Cosa, to result from the 
same territory, of which he was appointed Alguazil Mayor.* 
Such was the economical generosity of King Ferdinand, who 
rewarded the past toils of his adventurous discoverers out 
of the expected produce of their future labours. 

* Navarrete. Collec. t. iii. 



SECOND VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 85 



SECOND VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA 

(1502.) 



The first voyage of Alonzo de Ojeda to the coast of Paria, 
and its meagre termination in June, 1500, has heen related. 
He gained nothing in wealth by that expedition, but he added 
to his celebrity as a bold and skilful adventurer. His youthful 
fire, his sanguine and swelling spirit, and the wonderful stories 
that were told of his activity and prowess, made him extremely 
popular, so that his patron, the bishop Fonseca, found it an 
easy matter to secure for him the royal favour. In considera- 
tion of his past services and of others expected from him, a 
grant was made to him of six leagues of land on the southern 
part of Hispaniola, and the goverimaent of the province of 
Coquibacoa which he had discovered. He was, furthermore, 
authorized to fit out any number of ships, not exceeding ten, 
at his own expense, and to prosecute the discovery of the 
coast of Terra Firma. He was not to touch or traffic on the 
pearl coast of Paria ; extending as far as a bay in the vicinity 
of the island of Margarita. Beyond this he had a right to 
trade in all kinds of merchandise, whether of pearls, jewels, 
metals, or precious stones ; paying one-fifth of the profits to 
the crown, and abstaining from making slaves of the Indians 
without a special license from the sovereigns. He was to col- 
onize Coquibacoa, and, as a recompense, was to enjoy one-half 
of the proceeds of his territory, provided the half did not 
exceed 300,000 maravedies: aU beyond that amount was to go 
to the crown. 

A principal reason, however, for granting this government 
and those privileges to Ojeda, was that, in his previous voyage, 
he had met with English adventurers on a voyage of discovery 
in the neighbourhood of Coquibacoa, at which the jealousy of 
the sovereigns had taken the alarm. They were anxious, 
therefore, to establish a resolute and fighting commander like 
Ojeda upon this outpost, and they instructed him to set up the 



36 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 

arms of Castile and Leon in every place he visited, as a signal 
of discovery and possession, and to put a stop to the intrusions 
of theEnghsh.* 

With this commission in his pocket, and the government of 
an Indian territory in the perspective, Ojeda soon found asso- 
ciates to aid him in fitting out an armament. These were 
Juan de Vergara, a servant of a rich canon of the cathedral of 
Seville, and Garcia de Campos, commonly called Ocampo. 
They made a contract of partnership to last for two years, 
according to which the expenses and profits of the expedition, 
and of the government of Coquibacoa, were to be shared 
equally between them. The purses of the confederates were 
not ample enough to afford ten ships, but they fitted out four. 
1st, The Santa Maria de la Antigua, commanded by Garcia del 
Campo; 2d, The Santa Maria de la Granada, conunanded by 
Juan de Vergara ; 8d, The Caravel Magdalena, commanded by 
Pedro de Ojeda, nephew to Alonzo; and 4th, The Caravel 
Santa Ana, commanded by Hernando de Guevara. The 
whole was under the command of Alonzo de Ojeda. The 
expedition set sail in 1502, touched at the Canaries, according 
to custom, to take in provisions, and then proceeded westward 
for the shores of the New World. 

After traversing the Gulf of Paria, and before reaching the 
Island of Margarita, the Caravel Santa Ana, commanded by 
Hernando de Guevara, was separated from them, and for sev- 
eral days the ships were mutiijally seeking each other, in these 
silent and trackless seas. After they were all reunited they 
found their provisions growing scanty ; they landed therefore 
at a part of the coast called Cumana by the natives, but to 
which, from its beauty and fertility, OjeAa gave the name of 
Valfermoso. While foraging here for their immediate sup- 
plies, the idea occurred to Ojeda that he should want furniture 
and utensils of all kinds for his proposed colony, and that it 
would be better to pillage them from a country where he was 
a mere transient visitor, than to wrest them from his neigh- 
bours in the territory where he was to set up his government. 
His companions were struck with the policy, if not the justice, 
of this idea, and they all set to work to carry it into execution. 
Dispersing themselves, therefore, in ambush in various direc- 
tions, they at a concerted signal rushed forth from their con- 
cealment, and set upon the natives. Ojeda had issued orders 

* Navarrete, t. iii., document x. 



SECOJyj) VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 37 

to do as little injury and damage as possible, and on no ac- 
count to destroy the habitations of the Indians. His followers, 
however, in their great zeal, transcended his orders. Seven or 
eight Indians were killed and many wounded in the skirmish 
which took place, and a number of their cabins were wrapped 
in flames. A great quantity of hammocks, of cotton, and of 
utensils of various kinds, fell into the hands of the conquerors ; 
they also captured several female Indians, some of whom were 
ransomed with the kind of gold called guanin; some were 
retained by Vergara for himself and his friend Ocampo ; others 
were distributed among the crews ; the rest, probably the old 
and ugly, were set at liberty. As to Ojeda, he reserved noth- 
ing for himself of the spoil excepting a single hammock. 

The ransom paid by the poor Indians for some of their effects 
and some of their women, yielded the Spaniards a trifling 
quantity of gold, but they found the place destitute of pro- 
visions, and Ojeda was obliged to despatch Vergara in a cara- 
vel to the island of Jamaica to forage for supplies, with 
instructions to rejoin him at Maracaibo or Cape de la Vela. 

Ojeda at length arrived at Coquibacoa, at the port destined 
for his seat of government. He found the country, however, 
so poor and sterile, that he proceeded along the coast to a bay 
which he named Santa Cruz, but which is supposed to be the 
same at present called Bahia Honda, where he found a Span- 
iard who had been left in the province of Citarma by Bastides 
in his late voyage about thirteen months before, and had re- 
mained ever since among the Indians, so that he had acquired 
their language. 

Ojeda determined to form his settlement at this place ; but 
the natives seemed disposed to defend their territory, for, the 
moment a party landed to procure water, they were assailed 
by a galling shower of arrows, and driven back to the ships. 
Upon this Ojeda landed with all his force, and struck such 
terror into the Indians, that they came forward with signs of 
amity, and brought a considerable quantity of gold as a peace- 
offering, which was graciously accepted. 

Ojeda, with the concurrence of his associates, now set to 
work to establish a settlement, cutting down trees, and com- 
mencing a fortress. They had scarce begun, when they were 
attacked by a neighbouring cacique, but Ojeda sallied forth 
upon him with such intrepidity and effect as not merely to de- 
feat, but to drive him from the neighbourhood. He then pro- 
ceeded quietly to finish his fortress, which was defended by 



38 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

lombards, and contained the magazine of provisions and the 
treasure amassed in the expedition. The provisions were 
dealt out twice a day, under the inspection of proper officers ; 
the treasure gained by barter, by ransom, or by plunder, was 
deposited in a strong box secured by two locks, one key being 
kept by the royal supervisor, the other by Ocampo. 

In the mean time provisions became scarce. The Indians 
never appeared in the neighbourhood of the fortress, except to 
harass it with repeated though ineffectual assaults. Vergara 
did not appear with the expected supphes from Jamaica, and a 
caravel was despatched in search of him. The people, worn 
out with labour and privations of various kinds, and dis- 
gusted with the situation of a settlement, which was in a poor 
and unhealthy country, grew discontented and factious. They 
began to fear that they should lose the means of departing, as 
their vessels were in danger of being destroyed by the broma 
or worms. Ojeda led them forth repeatedly upon foraging 
parties about the adjacent country, and collected some pro- 
visions and booty in the Indian villages. The provisions he • 
deposited in the magazine, part of the spoils he divided among 
his followers, and the gold he locked up in the strong box, the 
keys of which he took possession of, to the great displeasure of 
the supervisor and his associate Ocampo. The murmurs of the 
people grew loud as their sufferings increased. They insinu- 
ated that Ojeda had no authority over this part of the coast, 
having passed the boundaries of his government, and formed 
his settlement in the country discovered by Bastides. By the 
time Vergara arrived from Jamaica, the factions of this petty 
colony had risen to an alarming height. Ocampo had a per- 
sonal enmity to the governor arising probably from some feud 
about the strong box ; being a particular friend of Vergara, he 
held a private conference with him, and laid a plan to entrap 
the doughty Ojeda. In pursuance of this the latter was in- 
vited on board of the caravel of Vergara to see the provisions 
he had brought from Jamaica, but no sooner was he on board 
than they charged him with having transgressed the limits of 
his government, with having provoked the hostihty of the 
Indians, and needlessly sacrificed the lives of his followers, 
and above all, with having taking possession of the strong box, 
in contempt of the authority of the royal supervisor, and with 
the intention of appropriating to himself all the gains of the 
enterprise ; they informed him, therefore, of their intention to 
convey him a prisoner to Hispaniola, to answer to the Gov- 



SECOND VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. 39 

ernor for his offences. Ojeda finding himself thus entrapped, 
proposed to Vergara and Ocampo that they should return to 
Spain with such of the crews as chose to accompany them, 
leaving him with the remainder to prosecute his enterprise. 
The two recreant partners at first consented, for they were 
disgusted with the enterprise, which offered httle profit and 
severe hardships. They agreed to leave Ojeda the smallest of 
the caravels, with a third of the provisions and of their gains, 
and to build a row boat for him. They actually began to 
labour upon the boat. Before ten days had elapsed, however, 
they repented of the arrangement, the ship-carpenters were 
ill, there were no caulkers, and moreover, they recollected that 
as Ojeda, according to their representations, was a defaulter to 
the crown, they would be liable as l^s sureties, should they re- 
turn to Spain without him. They Concluded, therefore, that 
the wisest plan was to give him nothing, but to carry him off 
prisoner. 

When Ojeda learned the determination of his wary partners, 
he attempted to make his escape and get off to St. Domingo, 
but he was seized, thrown in irons, and conveyed on board of 
the caravel. The two partners then set sail from Santa Cruz, 
bearing off the whole community, its captive governor, and the 
htigated strong box. 

They put to sea about the beginning of September, and 
arrived at the western part of the island of Hispaniola. While 
at anchor within a stone's throw of the land, Ojeda, con- 
fident in his strength and skill as a swimmer, let himself 
quietly slide down the side of the ship into the water during 
the night, and attempted to swim for the shore. His arms 
were free, but his feet were shackled, and the weight of his 
irons threatened to sink him. He was obliged to shout for 
help ; a boat was sent from the vessel to his relief, and the un- 
fortunate governor was brought back half drowned to his un- 
relenting partners.* 

The latter now landed and delivered their prisoner into the 
hands of Gallego, the commander of the place, to be put at the 
disposal of the governor of the island. In the mean time the 
strong box, which appears to have been at the bottom of all 
these feuds, remained in the possession of Vergara and Ocam- 
po, who, Ojeda says, took from it whatever they thought 
proper, without regard to the royal dues or the consent of the 

* Hist. Gen. rle Adages. Herrera, Hist. Ind, 



40 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

royal supervisor. They were all together, prisoner and ac- 
cusers, in the city of San Domingo, about the end of Septem- 
ber 1502, when the chief judge of the island, after hearing 
both parties, gave a verdict against Ojeda that stripped him 
of all his effects, and brought him into debt to the crown for 
the royal proportion of the profits of the voyage. Ojeda ap- 
pealed to the sovereign, and, after some time, was honour- 
ably acquitted, by the royal council, from all the charges, and. 
a mandate was issued in 1503, ordering a restitution of his 
property. It appears, however, that the costs of justice, 
or rather of the law, consumed his share of the treasure of 
the strong box, and that a royal order was necessary to libe- 
rate him from the hands of the governor; so that, Hke too 
many other litigants, he flfially emerged from the labyrinths 
of the law a triumphant client but a ruined man. 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA, 41 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE QJEDA. 



CHAPTER I. 



OJEDA APPLIES FOR A COMMAND— HAS A RIVAL CANDIDATE IN 
DIEGO DE NICUESA— HIS SUCCESS. 

For several years after his ruinous, though successful law- 
suit, we lose all traces of Alonzo de Ojeda, excepting that we 
are told he made another voyage to the vicinity of Coquibacoa, 
in 1505. No record remains of this expedition, which seems to 
have been equally unprofitable with the preceding, for we find 
him, in 1508, in the island of Hispaniola, as poor in purse, 
though as proud in spirit, as ever. In fact, however fortune 
might have favoured him, he had a heedless, squandering dis- 
position that would always have kept him poor. 

About this time the cupidity of King Ferdinand was greatly 
excited by the accounts which had been given by Columbus, of 
the gold mines of Veragua, in which the admiral fancied he 
had discovered the Aurea Chersonesus of the ancients, from 
whence King Solomon procured the gold used in building the 
temple of Jerusalem. Subsequent voyagers had corroborated 
the opinion of Columbus as to the general riches of the coast 
of Terra Firma ; King Ferdinand resolved, therefore, to found 
regular colonies along that coast and to place the whole under 
some capable commander. A project of the kind had been 
conceived by Columbus, when he discovered that region in the 
course of his last voyage, and the reader may remember the 
disasters experienced by his brother Don Bartholomew and 
himself, in endeavouring to establish a colony on the hostile 
shores of Veragua. The admiral being dead, the person who 
should naturally have presented himself to the mind of the 
sovereign for this particular service was Don Bartholomew, 
but the wary and selfish monarch knew the Adelantado to be 
as lofty in his terms as his late brother, and preferred to accom- 
plish his purposes by cheaper agents. He was unwilling, also, 



42 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

to increase the consequence of a family, whose vast, but just, 
claims were already a cause of repining to his sordid and jeal- 
ous spirit. He looked round, therefore, among the crowd of 
adventurers, who had sprung up in the school of Cclmnbus, 
for some individual who might be ready to serve him on more 
accommodating terms. Among those, considered by their 
friends as most fitted for this purpose, was Alonzo de Ojeda, for 
his roving voyages and daring exploits had made him famous 
among the voyagers ; and it was thought that an apphcation 
on his part would be attended with success, for he was known 
to possess a staunch friend at court in the Bishop Fonseca. 
Unfortunately he was too far distant to urge his suit to the 
bishop, and what was worse, he was destitute of money. At 
this juncture there happened to be at Hispaniola the veteran 
navigator and pilot, Juan de la Cosa, who was a kind of Nestor 
in all nautical affairs.* The hardy Biscayan had sailed with 
Ojeda, and had conceived a great opinion of the courage and 
talents of the youthful adventurer. He had contrived, also, to 
fill his purse in the course of his cruising, and now, in the gen- 
erous spirit of a sailor, offered to aid Ojeda. with it in the 
prosecution of his wishes. 

His offer was gladly accepted ; it was agi'eed that Jiian de la 
Cosa should depart for Spain, to promote the appointment of 
Ojeda to the command of Terra Firma, and, in case of success, 
should fit out, with his own funds, the necessary armament. 

La Cosa departed on his embassy ; he called on the Bishop 
Fonseca, who, as had been expected, entered warmly into the 
views of his favourite, Ojeda, and recommended him to the 
ambitious and bigot king, as a man well fitted to promote his 
empire in the wilderness, and to dispense the blessings of Chris- 
tianity among the savages. 

The recommendation of the bishop was usually effectual in 
the affairs of the New World, and the opinion of the veteran 
de la Cosa had great weight even with the sovereign; but a 



* Peter Martyr gives the following weighty testimony to the knowledge and skill 
of this excellent seaman:—" Of the Spaniards, as many as thought themselves to 
have any knowledge of what pertained to measure the land and sea, drew cardes 
(charts) on parchment as concerning these navigations. Of all others they most 
esteem them which Juan de la Cosa, the companion of Ojeda, and another pilot, 
called Andres Morales, had set forth, and this as well for the great experience 
which both had, (to whom these tracks were as well known as the chambers of their 
own houses,) as also that they were thought to be cunninger in that part of cos- 
mography which teacheth the description and measuring of the sea."— P. Martyr, 
Decad. ii, c. 10. 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 43 

rival candidate to Ojeda had presented himself, and one who 
had the advantage of higher connexions and greater pecuniary 
means. This was Diego de Nicuesa, an accomplished courtier 
of noble birth, who had filled the post of grand carver to Don 
Enrique Enriquez, uncle of the king. Nature, education, and 
habit seemed to have combined to form Nicuesa as a complete 
rival of Ojeda. Like him he was small of stature, but remark- 
able for symmetry and compactness of form and for bodily 
strength and activity ; like him he was master at all kinds of 
weapons, and skilled, not merely in feats of agility but m those 
graceful and chivalrous exercises, which the Spanish cavaliers 
of those days had inherited from the Moors ; being noted for 
his vigour and address in the jousts or tilting matches after the 
Moresco fashion. Ojeda himself could not surpass him in feats 
of horsemanship, and particular mention is made of a favourite 
mare, which he could make caper and carricol in strict cadence 
to the sound of a viol ; beside all this, he was versed in the 
legendary ballads or romances of his country, and was renowned 
as a capital performer on the guitar ! Such were the qualifica- 
tions of this candidate for a command in the wilderness, as 
enumerated by the reverend Bishop Las Casas. It is probable, 
however, that he had given evidence of qualities more adapted 
to the desired post ; having already been out to Hispaniola in 
the military train of the late Governor Ovando. 

Where merits were so singularly balanced as those of Ojeda 
and Nicuesa, it might have beem difficult to decide ; King Ferdi- 
nand avoided the dilemma by favouring both of the candidates ; 
not indeed by furnishing them with ships and money, but by 
fi:ranting patents and dignities which cost nothing, and might 
bring rich returns. 

He divided that part of the continent which lies along the 
Isthmus of Darien into two provinces, the boundary line run- 
ning through the Gulf of Uraba. The eastern part, extending 
to Cape de la Vela, was called New Andalusia, the government 
of it given to Ojeda. The other, to the west, including Veragua, 
and reaching to Cape Gracias a Dios, was assigned to Nicuesa. 
The island of Jamaica was given to the two governors in com- 
mon, as a place from whence to draw supplies of provisions. 
Each of the governors w^as to erect two fortresses in his dis- 
trict, and to enjoy for ten years the profits of all the mines he 
should discover, paying to the crown one-tenth part the first 
year, one-ninth the second, one-eighth the third, one-seventh 
the fourth, and one-fifth part in each of the remaining years. 



44 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

Juan de la Cosa, who had been indefatigable in promoting 
the suit of Ojeda, was appointed his lieutenant in the govern- 
ment, with the post of Alguazil Mayor of the province. He 
immediately freighted a ship and two brigantines, in which he 
embarked with about two hundred men. It was a slender 
armament, but the purse of the honest voyager was not very 
deep, and that of Ojeda was empty. Nicuesa, having ampler 
means, armed four large vessels and two brigantines, furnished 
them with abundant munitions and supplies, both for the voy- 
age and the projected colony, enlisted a much greater force, 
and set sail in gay and vaunting style, for the golden shores of 
Veragua, the Aurea Chersonesus of his imagination. 



CHAPTER n. 



FEUD BETWEEN THE RIVAL GOVERNORS, OJEDA AND NICUESA — 
A CHALLENGE. — (1509.) 

The two rival armaments arrived at San Domingo about the 
same time. Nicuesa had experienced what was doubtless con- 
sidered a pleasant little turn of fortune by the way. Touching 
at Santa Cruz, one of the Carribee islands, he had succeeded in 
capturing a hundred of the natives, whom he had borne off in 
his ships to be sold as slaves at Hispaniola. This was deemed 
justifiable in those days, even by the most scimpulous divines, 
from the belief that the Caribs were all anthropophagi, or 
man-eaters ; fortunately the opinion of mankind, in this more 
enlightened age, makes but little difference in atrocity between 
the cannibal and the kidnapper. 

Alonzo de Ojeda welcomed with joy the arrival of his nau- 
tical friend and future lieutenant in the government, the 
worthy Juan de la Cosa ; still he could not but feel some mor- 
tification at the inferiority of his armament to that of his rival 
Nicuesa, whose stately ships rode proudly at anchor in the 
harbour of San Domingo, He felt, too, that his means were 
inadequate to the establishment of his intended colony. 
Ojeda, however, was not long at a loss for pecuniary assist- 
ance. Like many free-spirited men, who are careless and 
squandering of their own purses, he had a facility at com- 
manding the purses of his neighbours. Among the motley 
population of San Domingo there was a lawyer of some abili- 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 45 

ties, the Bachelor Martin Fernandez de Enciso, who had made 
two thousand castillanos by his pleading ;* for it would appear 
that the spirit of litigation was one of the first fruits of civilized 
life transplanted to the New World, and flourished surprisingly 
among the Spanish colonists. 

Alonzo de Ojeda became acquainted with the Bachelor, and 
finding him to be of a restless and speculative character, soon 
succeeded in inspiring him with a contempt for the dull but 
secure and profitable routine of his oflS.ce in San Domingo, and 
imbuing him with his own passion for adventure. Above all, 
he dazzled him with the offer to make him Alcalde Mayor, or 
chief judge of the provincial government he was about to 
establish in the wilderness. 

In an evil hour the aspiring Bachelor yielded to the tempta- 
tion, and agreed to invest all his money in the enterprise. It 
was agreed that Ojeda should depart with the armament which 
had arrived from Spain, while the Bachelor should remain at 
Hispaniola to beat up for recruits and provide supplies ; with 
these he was to embark in a ship purchased by liimself , and 
proceed to join his high-mettled friend at the seat of his in- 
tended colony. Two rival governors, so well matched as 
Ojeda and Nicuesa, and both possessed of swelling spirits, pent 
up in small but active bodies, could not remain long in a little 
place like San Domingo without some collision. The island of 
Jamaica, which had been assigned to them in common, fur- 
nished the first ground of contention ; the province of Darien 
furnished another, each pretending to include it within the 
limits of his jurisdiction. Their disputes on these points ran 
so high that the whole place resounded with them. In talk- 
ing, however, Nicuesa had the advantage; having been 
brought up in the court, he was more polished and ceremoni- 
ous, had greater self-command, and probably perplexed his 
rival governor in argument. Ojeda was no great casuist, but 
he was an excellent swordsman, and always ready to fight his 
way through any question of right or dignity which he could 
not clearly argue with the tongue ; so h^ proposed to settle the 
dispute by single combat. Nicuesa, though equally brave, 
was more a man of the world, and saw the foUy of such arbit- 
rament. Secretly smiling at the heat of his antagonist, he 
proposed, as a preliminary to the duel, and to furnish some- 
thing worth fighting for, that each should deposit five thou- 

* Equivalent to 10,650 dollars of the present day. 



46 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

sand castillanos, to be the prize of the victor. This, as he 
foresaw, was a temporary check upon the fiery valour of his 
rival, who did not possess a pistole in his treasury, but prob- 
ably was too proud to confess it. 

It is not likely, however, that the impetuous spirit of Ojeda 
would long have remained in check, had not the discreet Juan 
de la Cosa interposed to calm it. It is interesting to notice the 
great ascendency possessed by this veteran navigator over his 
fiery associate. Juan de la Cosa was a man whose strong 
natural good sense had been quickened by long and hard 
experience; whose courage was above all question, but tem- 
pered by time and trial. He seems to have been personally 
attached to Ojeda, as veterans who have outlived the rash im- 
pulse of youthful valour are apt to love the fiery quality in 
their younger associates. So long as he accompanied Ojeda in 
his enterprises, he stood by him as a Mentor in council, and a 
devoted partisan in danger. 

In the present instance the interference of this veteran of the 
seas had the most salutary effect ; he prevented the impending 
duel of the rival governors, and persuaded them to agree that 
the river Darien should be the boundary line between their 
respective jurisdictions. 

The dispute relative to Jamaica was settled by the Admiral 
Don Diego Columbus himself. He had already felt aggrieved 
by the distribution of these governments by the king, without 
his consent or even knowledge, being contrary to the privileges 
which he inherited from his father, the discoverer. It was in 
vain to contend, however, w^hen the matter was beyond his 
reach and involved in technical disputes. But as to the island 
of Jamaica, it in a manner lay at his own door, and he could 
not brook its being made a matter of gift to these brawling 
governors. Witliout waiting the slow and uncertain course of 
making remonstrances to the king, he took the affair, as a 
matter of plain right, into his own hands and ordered a brave 
officer, Juan de Esquibel, the same who had subjugated the 
province of Higuey, to take possession of that island, with 
seventy men, and to hold it subject to his command. 

Ojeda did not hear of this arrangement until he was on the 
point of embarking to make sail. In the heat of the moment 
iie loudly defied the power of the admira -, and swore that if he 
ever found Juan de Esquibel on the island of Jamaica he would 
strike off his head. The populace present heard this menace, 
and had too thorough an idea of the fiery and daring character 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 47 

of Ojeda to doubt that he would carry it into effect. Notwith- 
standing his bravado, however, Juan de Esquibel proceeded 
according to his orders to take possession of the island of 
Jamaica. 

The squadron of Nicuesa lingered for some time after the 
sailing of his rival. His courteous and engaging manners^ 
aided by the rumour of great riches in the province of Vera- 
gua, where he intended to found his colony, had drawn numer- 
ous volunteers to his standard, insomuch that he had to pur- 
chase another ship to convey them. 

Nicuesa was more of the courtier and the cavalier than the 
man of business, and had no skill in managing his pecuniary 
affairs. He had expended his funds with a free and lavish 
hand, and involved himself in debts which he had not the im- 
mediate means of paying. Many of his creditors knew that 
his expedition was regarded with an evil eye by the Admiral, 
Don Diego Columbus ; to gain favour with the latter, therefore, 
they threw all kinds of impediments in the way of Nicuesa. 
Never was an unfortunate gentleman more harassed and dis- 
tracted by duns and demands, one plucking at his skirts as 
soon as the other was satisfied. He succeeded, however, in 
getting all his forces embarked. He had seven hundred men, 
well chosen and well armed, together with six horses. He 
chose Lope de Olano to be his captain-general, a seemingly 
impolitic appointment, as this Olano had been concerned with 
the notorious Roldan in his rebellion against Columbus. 

The squadron sailed out of the harbour and put to sea, ex- 
cepting one ship, which, with anchor a-trip and sails unfurled, 
waited to receive Nicuesa, who was detained on shore until 
the last moment by the perplexities which had been artfully 
multiphed around him. 

Just as he was on the point of stepping into his boat he 
was arrested by the harpies of the law, and carried before the 
Alcalde Mayor to answer a demand for five hundred ducats, 
which he was ordered to pay on the spot, or prepare to go to 
prison. 

This was a thunderstroke to the unfortunate cavaher. In 
vain he represented his utter incapacity to furnish such a sum 
at the moment ; in vain he represented the ruin that would 
accrue to himself and the vast injury to the public service, 
should he be prevented from joining his expedition. The Al- 
calde Mayor was inflexible, and Nicuesa was reduced to de- 
spair. At this critical moment relief came from a most unex- 



48 SPAmSE VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

pected quarter. The heart of a public notary was melted by 
his distress ! He stepped forward in court and declared that 
rather than see so gallant a gentleman reduced to extremity 
he himself would pay down the money. Nicuesa gazed at him 
with astonishment, and could scarcely beUeve his senses, but 
when he saw him actually pay off the debt, and found himself 
suddenly released from this dreadful embarrassment, he em- 
braced his dehverer with tears of gratitude, and hastened with 
all speed to embark, lest some other legal spell should be laid 
upon his person. 



CHAPTER in. 



EXPLOITS AND DISASTERS OF OJEDA ON THE COAST OF CARTHA- 
GENA— FATE OF THE VETERAN JUAN DE LA COSA. — (1509.) 

It was on the 10th of November, 1509, that Alonzo de Ojeda, 
set sail from San Domingo with two ships, two brigantines, 
and three hundred,men. He took with liim also twelve brood 
mares. Among the remarkable adventurers who embarked 
with him was Francisco Pizarro, who was afterwards re- 
no wnod as the conqueror of Peru.* Hernando Cortez had hke- 
wise intended to sail in the expedition, but was prevented by 
an inflammation in one of his knees. 

The voyage was speedy and prosperous, and they arrived late 
in the autumn in the harbour of Carthagena. The veteran 
Juan de la Cosa was well acquainted with this place, having 
sailed as pilot with Rodrigo de Bastides, at the time he discov- 
ered it in 1501. He warned Alonzo de Ojeda to be upon his 
guard, as the natives were a brave and warlike race, of Carib 

* Francisco Pizarro was a native of Truxillo in Estremadura. He was the ille- 
gitimate fruit of an amour between Gonsalvo Pizarro, a veteran captain of in- 
fantry, and a damsel in low life. His childhood was passed in grovelling occu- 
pations incident to the humble condition of his mother, and he is said to have 
been a swineherd. When he had sufficiently increased in years and stature he en- 
listed as a soldier. His first campaigns may have been against the Moors in the 
war of Granada. He certainly served in Italy under the banner of the Great Cap- 
tain, Gonsalvo of Cordova. His roving spirit then induced him to join the bands 
of adventurers to the New World. He was of ferocious courage, and, when en- 
gaged in any enterprise, possessed an obstinate perseverance that was neither to 
be deterred by danger, weakened by fatigue and hardship, or checked by repeated 
disappointment. After having conquered the great kingdom of Peru, he was as- 
sassinated, at an advanced age, In 1541, defending himself .bravely to the last. 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 49 

origin, far different from the soft and gentle inhabitants of the 
islands. They wielded great swords of palm-wood, defended 
themselves with osier targets, and dipped their arrows in the 
subtle poison. The women, as well as the men, mingled in bat- 
tle, being expert in drawing the bow and throwing a species of 
iance called the azagay. The warning was well timed, for the 
Indians of these parts had been irritated by the misconduct of 
previous adventurers, and flew to arms on the first appearance 
of the ships. 

Juan de la Cosa now feared for the safety of the enterprise 
in which he had person, fortune, and official dignity at stake. 
He earnestly advised Ojeda to abandon this dangerous neigh- 
bourhood, and to commence a settlement in the guK of Uraba, 
where the people were less ferocious, and did not use poisoned 
weapons. Ojeda was too proud of spirit to alter his plans 
through fear of a naked foe. It is thought, too, that he had 
no objection to a skirmish, being desirous of a pretext to make 
slaves to be sent to Hispaniola in discharge of the debts he 
had left unpaid.* He landed, therefore, with a considerable 
part of his force, and a number of friars, who had been sent 
out to convert the Indians. His faithful lieutenant, being un- 
able to keep him out of danger, stood by to second him. 

Ojeda advanced towards the savages, and ordered the friars 
to read aloud a certain formula which had recently been di- 
gested by profound jurists and divines in Spain. It began in 
stately form. "I, Alonzo de Ojeda, servant of the most high 
and mighty sovereigns of Castile and Leon, conquerors of bar- 
barous nations, their messenger and captain, do notify unto 
you, and make you know, in the best way I can, that God our 
Lord, one and eternal, created the heaven and the earth, and 
one man and one woman, from whom you and we, and all the 
people of the earth proceeded, and are descendants, as well as 
those who shall come hereafter." The formula then went on 
to declare the fundamental principles of the Cathohc Faith : 
the supreme power given to St. Peter over the world and all 
the human race, and exercised by his representative the pope ; 
the donation made by a late pope of aU this part of the world 
and aU its inhabitants, to the Cathohc sovereigns of Castile; 
and the ready obedience which had already been paid by many 
of its lands and islands and people to the agents and represent 
atives of those sovereigns. It called upon those savages pres- 

*Las Casas. pist. Ind. 1. ii. c. 57, MS 



50 SPANISH VOYAGES OP DlSCOVmT. 

ent, therefore, to do the same, to acknowledge the truth of the 
Christian doctrines, the supremacy of the pope, and the sov- 
ereignty of the Cathohc King, but, in case of refusal, it de- 
nounced upon them all the horrors of war, the desolation of 
their dwellings, the seizure of their property, and the slavery 
of their wives and children. Such was the extraordinary doc- 
ument, which, from this time forward, was read by the Span- 
ish discoverers to the wondering savages of any newly-found 
country, as a prelude to sanctify the violence about to be in- 
flicted on them.* 

When the friars had read this pious manifesto, Ojeda made 
signs of amity to the natives, and held up glittering presents ; 
they had already suffered, however, from the cruelties of the 
white men, and were not to be won by kindness. On the con- 
trary, they brandished their weapons, sounded their conchs, 
and prepared to make battle. 

Juan de la Cosa saw the rising choler of Ojeda, and knew his 
fiery impatience. He again entreated him to abandon these 
hostile shores, and reminded him of the venomous weapons of 
the enemy. It was all in vain : Ojeda confided blindly in the 
protection of the Virgin. Putting up, as usual, a short prayer 
to his patroness, he drew his weapon, braced his buckler, and 
charged furiously upon the savages. Juan de la Cosa followed 
as heartily as if the battle had been of his own seeking. The 
Indians were soon routed, a number killed, and several taken 
prisoners ; on their persons were found plates of gold, but of an 
inferior quality. Flushed by this triumph, Ojeda took several 
of the prisoners as guides, and pursued the fiying enemy four 
leagues into the interior. He was followed, as usual, by his 
faithful lieutenant, the veteran La Cosa„ continually remon- 
strating against his useless temerity, but hardily seconding 
him in the most hare-brained perils. Having penetrated far 
into the forest, they came to a strong-hold of the enemy, where 
a numerous force was ready to receive them, armed with clubs, 
lances, arroAvs, and bucklers. Ojeda led his men to the charge 
with the old Castilian war cry, "Santiago !" The savages soon 
took to flight. Eight of their bravest warriors threw them- 
selves into a cabin, and plied their bows and arrows so vigor- 
ously, that the Spaniards were kept at bay. Ojeda cried shame 
upon his followers to be daunted by eight naked men. Stung 

* The readai- will And the complete form of this cm-ious manifesto in the ap- 
pendix. 



THIUn VOYAGE OF ALO.NZO DE OJEDA. 51 

by this reproach, an old CastiHan soldier rushed through a 
shower of arrows, and forced the door of the cabin, but re- 
ceived a shaft through the heart, and fell dead on the thresh- 
old. Ojeda, furious at the sight, ordered fire to be set to the 
combustible edifice ; in a moment it was in a blaze, and the 
eight warriors perished in the flames. 

Seventy Indians were made captive and sent to the ships, 
and Ojeda, regardless of the remonstrances of Juan de la Cosa, 
continued his rash pursuit of the fugitives through the forest. 
In the dusk of the evening they arrived at a village called 
Yurbaco ; the mhabitants of which had fled to the mountains 
with their wives and children and principal effects. The Span- 
iards, imagining that the Indians were completely terrified and 
dispersed, now roved in quest of booty among the deserted 
houses, which stood distant from each other, buried among the 
trees. While they were thus scattered, troops of savages 
rushed forth, with furicTiis yells, from all parts of the forest. 
The Spaniards endeavoured to gather together and support 
each other, but every little party was surrounded by a host of 
foes. They fought with desperate bravery, but for once their 
valour and their iron armour were of no avail ; they were over- 
whelmed by numbers, and sank beneath war-clubs and poi- 
soned arrows. 

Ojeda on the first alarm collected a few soldiers and en- 
sconced himself within a smaU enclosure, surrounded by pali- 
sades. Here he was closely besieged and galled by flights of 
arrows. He threw himself on his knees, covered himself with 
his buckler, and, being small and active, managed to protect 
himself from the deadly shower, but all his companions were 
slain by his side, some of them perishing in frightful agonies. 
At this fearful moment the veteran La Cosa, having heard of 
the peril of his commander, arrived, with a few followers, to 
his assistance. Stationing himself at the gate of the pahsades, 
the brave Biscayan kept the savages at bay until most of his 
men were slain and he himself was severely wounded. Just 
then Ojeda sprang forth hke a tiger into the midst of the 
enemy, dealing his blows on every side. La Cosa would have 
seconded him, but was crippled by his wounds. He took refuge 
with the remnant of his men in an Indian cabin ; the straw roof 
of which he aided them to throw off, lest the enemy should set 
it on fire. Here he defended himself until all his comrades, 
but one, were destroyed. The subtle poison of his wounds at 
length overpowered him, and he sank to the ground. Feeling 



52 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

death at hand, he called to his only surviving companion. 
"Brother, "said he, " since God hath protected thee from harm, 
sally forth and fly, and if ever thou shouldst see Alonzo de 
Ojeda, teU him of my fate !" 

Thus f eU the hardy Juan de la Cosa, faithful and devoted to 
the very last ; nor can we refrain from pausing to pay a pass- 
ing tribute to his memory. He was acknowledged by his con- 
temporaries to be one of the ablest of those gallant Spanish 
navigators who first explored the way to the New World. But 
it is by the honest and kindly qualities of his heart that his 
memory is most endeared to us ; it is, above all, by that loyalty 
in friendship displayed in this his last and fatal expedition. 
Warmed by his attachment for a more youthful and a hot- 
headed adventurer, we see this wary veteran of the seas for- 
getting his usual prudence and the lessons of his experience, 
and embarking, heart and hand, purse and person, in the wild 
enterprises of his favourite. We behold him watching over 
him as a parent, remonstrating with him as a counsellor, but 
fighting by him as a partisan ; following him, without hesita- 
tion, into known and needless danger, to certain death itself, 
and showing no other solicitude in his dying moments but to 
be remembered by his friend. 

The histories of these Spanish discoveries abound in noble 
and generous traits of character, but few have charmed us 
more than this instance of loyalty to the last gasp, in the 
death of the staunch Juan de la Cosa. The Spaniard who es- 
caped to tell the story of his end was the only survivor of 
seventy that had followed Ojeda in this rash and headlong 
inroad. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ARRIVAL OF NICUESA— VENGEANCE TAKEN ON THE INDIANS. 

While these disastrous occurrences happened on shore, 
great alarm began to be felt on board of the ships. Days had 
elapsed since the party had adventured so rashly into the wil- 
derness ; yet nothing had been seen or heard of them, and the 
forest spread a mystery over their fate. Some of the Spaniards 
ventured a httle distance into the woods, but were deterred by 
the distant shouts and yells of the savages, and the noise of 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 53 

their conchs and drums. Armed detachments then coasted 
the shore in boats, landing occasionally, chmbing the rocks and 
promontories, firing signal-guns, and sounding trumpets. It 
was all in vain ; they heard nothing but the echoes of their 
own noises, or perhaps the wild whoop of an Indian from the 
bosom of the forest. At length, when they were about to give 
up the search in despair, they came to a great thicket of man- 
grove trees on the margin of the sea. These trees grow within 
the water, but their roots rise, and are intertwined, above the 
surface. In tlpis entangled and almost impervious grove, they 
caught a glimpse of a man in Spanish attire. They entered, 
and, to their astonishment, found it to be Alonzo de Ojeda. 
He was lying on the matted roots of the mangroves, his buck- 
ler on his shoulder, and his sword in his hand ; but so wasted 
with hunger and fatigue that he could not speak. They bore 
him to the firm land ; made a fire on the shore to warm him, 
for he was chilled with the damp and cold of his hiding-place, 
and when he was a little revived they gave him food and wine. 
In this way he gradually recovered strength to tell his doleful 
story.* 

He had succeeded in cutting his way through the host of 
savages, and attaining the woody skirts of the mountains ; but 
when he found himself alone, and that all his brave men had 
been cut oif, he was ready to yield up in despair. Bitterly did 
he reproach himself for having disregarded the advice of the 
veteran La Cosa, and deeply did he deplore the loss of that 
loyal follower, who had fallen a victim to his devotion. He 
scarce knew which way to bend his course, but continued on, 
in the darkness of the night and of the forest, until out of hear- 
ing of the yells of triumph uttered by the savages over the 
bodies of his men. When the day broke, he sought the rudest 
parts of the mountains, and hid himself until the night ; then 
struggling forward among rocks, and precipices, and matted 
forests, he made his way to the sea-side, but was too much ex- 
hausted to reach the ships. Indeed it was wonderful that one 

* The picture here given is so much hke romance, that the author quotes his 
authority at length:—" Llegaron adonde havia, junto al agua de la mar, unos Man- 
glares, que son arboles, que siempre nacen, i crecen i permanecen dentro del agua 
de la mar, con grandes raices, asidas, i enmaranadas unas con otras, i alii metido, 
i escondido hallaron Sl Alonzo de Ojeda, con su espada en la mano, i la rodela en 
las espaldas, 1 en ella sobre trecientas senales de flechazos. Estabo descaido de 
hambre, que no podia hechar de si la habla; i si no fuera tan robusto, aunque chico 
de cuerpo, fuera muerto." 

Las Casas. 1. ii. c. 58. MS. Herrara, Hist. Ind. D. i. 1. vii. c. xv. 



54 SPAm8H VOYAGES OF DISCO VERY. 

SO small of frame should have been able to endure such great 
hardships; but he was of admirable strength and hardihood. 
His followers considered his escape from death as little less 
than miraculous, and he himself regarded it as another proof 
of the special protection of the Virgin ; for, though he had, as 
usual, received no wound, yet it is said his buckler bore the 
dints of upwards of three hundred arrows.* 

While the Spaniards were yet on the shore, administering 
to the recovery of their commander, thev beheld a squadron 
of ships standing towards the harbour of Carthagena, and 
soon perceived them to be the ships of Nicuesa. Ojeda was 
troubled in mind at the sight, recollecting his late intem- 
perate defiance of that cavalier; and, reflecting that, should 
he seek him in enmity, he was in no situation to main- 
tain his challenge or defend himself. He ordered his men, 
therefore, to return on board the ships and leave him alone on 
the shore, and not to reveal the place of his retreat while 
Nicuesa should remain in the harbour. 

As the squadron entered the harbour, the boats sallied forth 
to meet it. The first inquiry of Nicuesa was concerning Ojeda. 
The followers of the latter rephed, mournfully, that their com- 
mander had gone on a warlike expedition into the country, 
but days had elapsed without his return, so that they feared 
some misfortune had befallen him. They entreated Nibuesa, 
therefore, to give his word, as a cavalier, that should Ojeda 
really be in distress, he would not take advantage of his mis- 
fortunes to revenge himself for their late disputes. 

Nicuesa, who was a gentleman of noble and generous spirit, 
blushed with indignation at such a request. ' ' Seek your com- 
mander instantly, " said he ; " bring him to me if he be alive ; 
and I pledge myseK not merely to forget the past, but to aid 
him as if he were a brother, t 

When they met, Nicuesa received his late foe with open 
arms. "It is not," said he, "for Hidalgos, like men of vulgar 
souls, to remember past differences when they behold one an- 
other in distress. Henceforth, let all that has occurred be- 
tween us be forgotten. Command me as a brother. Myself 
and my men are at your orders, to follow you wherever you 
please, until the deaths of Juan de la Cosa and his comrades 
are revenged." 

The spirits of Ojeda were once more lifted up by this gallant , 

X Las Casas, ubi sup. t Ibid. 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. ^^ 

and generous offer. The two governors, no longer rivals, 
landed four hundred of their men and several horses, and set 
off with all speed for the fatal village. They approached it 
in the night, and, dividing their forces into two parties, gave 
orders that not an Indian should be taken alive. 

The village was buried in deep sleep, but the woods were 
filled with large parrots, which, being awakened, made a pro- 
digious clamour. The Indians, however, thinking the Span- 
iards aU destroyed, paid no attention to these noises. It was 
not until their houses were assailed, and wrapped in flames, 
that they took the alarm. ' They rushed forth, some with arms, 
some weaponless, but were received at their doors by the exas- 
perated Spaniards, and either slain on the spot, or driven back 
into the fire. Women fled wildly forth with children in their 
arms, but at sight of the Spaniards glittering in steel, and of 
the horses, which they supposed ravenous monsters, they ran 
back, shrieking with horror, into their burning habitations. 
Great was the carnage, for no quarter was sh<fwn to age or sex. 
Many perished by the fire, and many by the sword. 

When they had fully glutted their vengeance, the Spaniards 
ranged about for booty. While thus employed, they found the 
body of the unfortunate Juan de la Cosa. It was tied to a tree, 
but swoln and discoloured in a hideous manner by the poison 
of the arrows with which he had been slain. This dismal 
spectacle had such an effect upon the common men, that not 
one would remain in that place during the night. Having 
sacked the village, therefore, they left it a smoking ruin, and 
returned in triumph to their ships. The spoil in gold and other 
articles of value must have been great, for the share of Nicuesa 
and his men amounted to the value of seven thousand castil- 
lanos.* The two governors, now faithful confederates, parted 
with many expressions of friendship, and with mutual admira- 
tion of each other's prowess, and Nicuesa continued his voyage 
for the coast of Veragua. 

* Equivalent to 37,281 dollars of the present day. 



56 JSPAmsS VOYAGES OP msCOVEUT. 



CHAPTER V. 

OJEDA FOUNDS THE COLONY OF SAN SEBASTIAN — BELEAGUERED 
BY THE INDIANS. 

Ojeda now adopted, though tardily, the advice of his un- 
fortunate lieutenant, Juan de la Cosa, and, giving up all 
thoughts of colonising this disastrous part of the coast, steered 
his course for the Gulf of Uraba. He sought for some time the 
river Darien, famed among the Indians as abounding in gold, 
but not finding it, landed in various places, seeking a favour- 
able site for his intended colony. His people were disheart- 
ened by the disasters they had already undergone, and the 
appearance of surrounding objects was not calculated to reas- 
sure them. The country, though fertile and covered with rich 
and beautiful vegetation, was in their eyes a land of cannibals 
and n^onsters. They began to dread the strength as well as 
fierceness of the savages, who could transfix a man with their 
arrows even when covered with armour, and whose shafts 
were tipped with deadly poison. They heard the bowlings of 
tigers, panthers, and, as they thought, lions in the forests, and 
encountered large and venomous serpents among the rocks and 
thickets. As they were passing along the banks of a river, 
one of their horses was seized by the leg by an enormous 
alligator, and dragged beneath the waves.* 

At length Ojeda fixed upon a place for his town on a height 
at the east side of the Gulf. Here, landing all that could be 
spared from the ships, he began with all diligence to erect 
houses, giving this embryo capital of his province the name of 
San Sebastian, in honour of that sainted martyr, who was slain 
by arrows ; hoping he might protect the inhabitants from the 
empoisoned shafts of the savages. As a further protection he 
erected a large wooden fortress, and surrounded the place with 
a stockade. Feeling, however, the inadequacy of his handful 
of men to contend with the hostile tribes around him, he de- 
spatched a ship to Hispaniola, with a letter to the Bachelor, 
Martin Fernandez de Enciso, his Alcalde Mayor, informing him 
of his having established his seat of government, and urging 
him to lose no time in joining him with all the recruits, arms, 

* Herrera, Hist. lud, D. i. 1. vii. c. xvi. 



THTRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 57 

and provisions he could command. By the same ship he trans- 
mitted to San Domingo all the captives and gold he had col- 
lected. 

His capital being placed in a posture of defence, Ojeda now 
thought of making a progress through his wild territory, and 
set out, accordingly, with an armed band, to pay a friendly 
visit to a neighbouring cacique, reputed as possessing great 
treasures of gold. The natives, however, had by this time 
learnt the nature of these friendly visits, and were prepared to 
resist them. Scarcely had the Spaniards entered into the de- 
files of the surromiding forest when they were assailed by 
flights of arrows from the close coverts of the thickets. Some 
were shot dead on the spot; others, less fortunate, expired 
raving with the torments of the poison ; the survivors, filled 
with horror at the sight, and losing all presence of mind, re- 
treated in confusion to the fortress. 

It was some time before Ojeda could again persuade his men 
to take the field, so great was their dread of the poisoned 
weapons of the Indians. At length their provisions began to 
fail, and they were compelled to forage among the villages in 
search, not of gold, but of food. 

In one of their expeditions they were surprised by an am- 
buscade of savages in a gorge of the mountains, and attacked 
with such fury and effect, that they were completely routed 
and pursued with yells and howhngs to the very gates of St. 
Sebastian. Many died in excruciating agony of their wounds, 
and others recovered with extreme diflSculty. Those who were 
well no longer dared to venture forth in search of food ; for the 
whole forest teemed with lurking foes. They devoured such 
herbs and roots as they could find without regard to their 
quality. The humors of their bodies became corrupted, and 
various diseases, combined Avith the ravages of famine, daily 
thinned their numbers. The sentinel who feebly mounted 
guard at night was often found dead at his post in the morn- 
ing. Some stretched themselves on the ground and expired of 
mere famine and debility ; nor was death any longer regarded 
as an evil, but rather as a welcome rehef from a life of horror 
and despair. 



58 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY, 



CHAPTER VI. 

ALONZO DE OJEDA SUPPOSED BY THE SAVAGES TO HAVE A 
CHARMED LIFE— THEIR EXPERIMENT TO TRY THE FACT. 

In the mean time the Indians continued to harass the garri- 
son, lying in wait to surprise the foraging parties, cutting off 
aU stragglers, and sometimes approaching the walls in open 
defiance. On such occasions Ojeda salhed forth at the head of 
his men, and, from his great agihty, was the first to overtake 
the retreating foe. He slew more of their warriors with his single 
arm than aU his followers together. Though often exposed to 
showers of arrows, none had ever wounded him, and the In- 
dians began to think he had a charmed hfe. Perhaps they had 
heard from fugitive prisoners the idea entertained by him- 
self and his followers of his being under supernatural protec- 
tion. Determined to ascertain the fact, they placed four of 
their most dexterous archers in ambush with orders to single 
him out. A number of them advanced towards the fort 
sounding their conchs and drums and uttering yells of defiance. 
As they expected, the impetuous Ojeda sallied forth immedi- 
ately at the head of his men. The Indians fled towards the am- 
buscade, drawing him in furious pursuit. The archers waited 
until he was fuU in front, and then launched their deadly 
shafts. Three struck his buckler and glanced harmlessly off, 
but the fourth pierced his thigh. Satisfied that he was 
wounded beyond the possibihty of cure, the savages retreated 
with shouts of triumph. 

Ojeda was borne back to the fortress in great anguish of 
body and despondency of spirit. For the first time in his life 
he had lost blood in battle. The charm in which he had hith- 
erto confided was broken ; or rather, the Holy Virgin appeared 
to have withdrawn her protection. He had the horrible death 
of his followers before his eyes, who had perished of their 
wounds in raving frenzy. 

One of the symptoms of the poison was to shoot a thi'ilLing 
chiU through the wounded part ; from this circumstance, per- 
haps, a remedy suggested itself to the imagination of Ojeda, 
which few but himself could have had the courage to undergo. 
He caused two plates of iron to be made red hot, and ordered a 
surgeon to apply them to each orifice of the wound. The sur- 
geon shuddered and refused, saying he would not be the mur 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. 59 

derer of his general.* Upon this Ojeda made a solemn vow 
that he would hang him unless he obeyed. To avoid the gal- 
lows, the surgeon applied the glowing plates. Ojeda refused 
to be tied down, or that any one should hold him during this 
frightful operation. He endured it without shrinking or 
uttering a murmur, although it so inflamed his whole system, 
that they had to wrap him in sheets steeped in vinegar to allay 
the burning heat which raged throughout his body ; and we 
are assured that a barrel of vinegar was exhausted for the pur- 
pose. The desperate remedy succeeded : the cold poison, says 
Bishop Las Casas, was consumed by the vivid fire.f How far 
the venerable historian is correct in his postulate, surgeons 
may decide; but many incredulous persons will be apt to 
account for the cure by surmising that the arrow was not en- 
venomed. 



CHAPTER VII. 

ARRIVAL OF A STRANGE SHIP AT SAN SEBASTIAN. 

Alonzo de Ojeda, though pronounced out of danger, was 
still disabled by his wound, and his helpless situation com- 
pleted the despair of his companions; for, while he was in 
health and vigour, his buoyant and mercurial spirit, his active, 
restless, and enterprising habits, imparted animation, if not 
confidence, to every one around him. The only hope of relief 
was from the sea, and that was nearly extinct, when, one day, 
to the unspeakable joy of the Spaniards, a sail appeared on the 
horizon. It made for the port and dropped anchor at the foot 
of the height of San Sebastian, and there was no longer a doubt 
that it was the promised succour from San Domingo. 

The ship came indeed from the island of Hispaniola, but it 
had not been fitted out by the Bachelor Enciso. The com- 
mander's name was Bernardino de Talavera. This man was 
one of the loose, heedless adventurers who abounded in San 
Domingo. His carelessness and extravagance had involved 
him in debt, and he was threatened with a prison. In the 
height of his difficulties the ship arrived which Ojeda had 



* Charlevoix, ut sup,, p. 293. 

t Las Casas, Hist. Ind. lib. ii. c. 59, MS. 



60 SPANISH TOT AGES OF DISCOVERY. 

sent to San Domingo, freighted with slaves and gold, an 
earnest of the riches to be found at San Sebastian. Bernar- 
dino de Talavera immediately conceived the project of giving 
his" creditors the slip and escaping to this new settlement. He 
understood that Ojeda was in need of recruits, and felt as- 
sured that, from his own reckless conduct in money-matters, 
he would sympathize with any one harassed by debt. He 
drew into his schemes a number of desperate debtors hke 
himself, nor was he scrupulous about filling his ranks with 
recruits whose legal emljarrassments arose from more criminal 
causes. Never did a more vagabond crew engage in a project 
of colonization. 

How to provide themselves with a vessel was now the ques- 
tion. They had neither money nor credit ; but then they had 
cunning and courage, and were troubled by no scruples of con- 
science ; thus qualified, a knave will often succeed better for a 
time than an honest man ; it is in the long run that he fails, as 
will be illustrated in the case of Talavera and his hopeful asso- 
ciates. While casting about for means to escape to San Sebas- 
tian they heard of a vessel belonging to certain Genoese, which 
was at Cape Tiburon, at the western extremity of the island, 
taking in a cargo of bacon and casava bread for San Domingo. 
Nothing could have happened more opportunely : here was a 
ship amply stored with provisions, and ready to theii* hand ; 
they had nothing to do but seize it and embark. 

The gang, accordingly, seventy in number, made their way 
separately and secretly to Cape Tiburon, where, assembhng at 
an appointed time and place, they boarded the vessel, over- 
powered the crew, weighed anchor, and set sail. They were 
heedless, hap-hazard mariners, and knew httle of the manage- 
ment of a vessel ; the historian Charlevoix thinks, therefore, 
that it was a special providence that guided them to San Sebas- 
tiaiL Whether or not the good father is right in his opinion, 
it is certain that the arrival of the ship rescued the garrison 
from the very brink of destruction.* 

Talavera and his gang, though they had come hghtly by 
their prize, were not disposed to part with it as frankly, but 
demanded to be paid down in gold for the provisions furnished 
to the starving colonists. Ojeda agreed to their terms, and 
taking the supplies into his possession, dealt them out spar- 
ingly to his companions. Several of his hungry followers were 

» Hist. S. Domingo, lib, iv. 



THIRD roTAOE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 61 

dissatisfied with their portions, and even accused Ojeda of un- 
fairness in reserving an undue share for himself. Perhaps 
there may have heen some ground for this charge, arising, not 
from any selfishness in the character of Ojeda, but from one of 
those superstitious fancies with which his mind was tinged ; for 
we are told that, for many years, he had been haunted by a 
presentiment that he should eventually die of hunger.* 

This lurking horror of the mind may have madeJiim depart 
from his usual free and lavish spirit in doling out these provi- 
dential supplies, and may have induced him to set by an extra 
portion for himself, as a precaution against his anticipated fate ; 
certain it is that great clamours rose among his people, some 
of whom threatened to return in the pirate vessel to Hispa- 
niola. He succeeded, however, in pacifying them for the pres- 
ent, by representing the necessity of husbanding their supplies, 
and by assuring them that the Bachelor Enciso could not fail 
soon to arrive, when there woidd be provisions in abundance. 



CHAPTER Vm. 

PACTIONS IN THE COLONY—A CONVENTION MADE. 

Days and days elapsed, but no relief arrived at San Sebas- 
tian. The Spaniards kept a ceaseless watch upon the sea, but 
the promised ship failed to appear. With all the husbandry 
of Ojeda the stock of provisions was nearly consumed ; famine 
again prevailed, and several of the garrison perished through 
their various sufferings and their lack of sufiicient nourish- 
ment. The survivors now became factious in their misery, and 
a plot was formed among them to seize upon one of the vessels 
in the harbour and make sail for Hispaniola. 

Ojeda discovered their intentions, and was reduced to great 
perplexity. He saw that to remain here without relief from 
abroad was certain destruction, yet he clung to his desperate 
enterprise. It was his only chance for fortune or command ; 
for should this settlement be broken up he might try in vain, 
with his exhausted means and broken credit, to obtain another 
post or to set on foot another expedition. Ruin in fact would 
overwhelm him, should he return without success. 

* Herrera, Decad. 1. 1 viii. c. 3. 



62 SPAMS H VOYAGES OF DISCO VEHY. 

He exerted himself, therefore, to the utmost to pacify his 
men ; representing the folly of abandoning a place where they 
had established a foothold, and where they only needed a rein- 
forcement to enable them to control the sm-rounding country, 
and to make themselves masters of its riches. Finding they 
still demurred, he offered, now that he was sufficiently recov- 
ered from his wound, to go himself to San Domingo in quest of 
reinforcements ana supplies. 

This offer had the desired effect. Such confidence had the 
people in the energy, abiHty, and influence of Ojeda, that they 
felt assured of relief should he seek it in person. They made a 
kind of convention with him, therefore, in which it was agreed 
that they should remain quietly at Sebastian's for the space of 
fifty days. At the end of this time, in case no tidings had been 
received of Ojeda, they were to be at liberty to abandon the 
settlement and return in the brigantines to Hispaniola. In the 
mean time Francisco Pizarro was to command .the colony as 
Lieutenant of Ojeda, until the arrival of his Alcalde Mayor, 
the Bachelor Enciso. This convention being made, Ojeda em- 
barked in the ship of Bernardino de Talavera. That cut-purse 
of the ocean and his loose-handed crew were effectually cured 
of their ambition to colonize. Disappointed in the hope of find- 
ing abundant wealth at San Sebastian's, and dismayed at the 
perils and horrors of the surrounding wilderness, they pre- 
ferred returning to Hispaniola, even at the risk of chains and 
dungeons. Doubtless they thought that the influence of Ojeda 
would be sufficient to obtain their pardon, especially as their 
timely succour had been the salvation of the colony. 



CHAPTER IX. 

DISASIIROUS VOYAGE OF OJEDA IN THE PIRATE SHIP. 

Ojeda had scarce put to sea in the ship of these freebooters, 
when a fierce quarrel arose between him and Talavera. Ac- 
customed to take the lead among his companions, still feeling 
himself governor, and naturally of a domineering spirit, Ojeda, 
on coming on board, had assumed the command as a matter of 
course. Talavera, who claimed dominion over the ship, by 
the right, no doubt, of trover and conversion, or, in other 
words, of downright piracy, resisted this usurpation. 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. 63 

Ojeda, as usual, would speedily have settled the question by 
the sword, but he had the whole vagabond crew against him, 
who overpowered him with numbers and threw him in irons. 
Still his swelling spirit was unsubdued. He reviled Talavera 
and his gang as recreants, traitors, pirates, and offered to 
fight the whole of them successively, provided they would 
give him a clear deck, and come on two at a time. Notwith- 
standing his diminutive size, they had too high an idea of his 
prowess, and had heard too much of his exploits, to accept his 
challenge ; so they kept him raging in his chains while they 
pursued their voyage. 

They had not proceeded far, however, when a violent storm 
arose. Talavera and his crew knew little of navigation, and 
were totally ignorant of those seas. The raging of the ele- 
ments, the bafifling winds and currents, and the danger of 
unknown rocks and shoals filled them with confusion and 
alarm. They knew not whither they were driving before the 
storm, or where to seek for shelter. In this hour of peril they 
called to mind that Ojeda was a sailor as well as soldier, and 
that he had repeatedly navigated these seas. Making a truce, 
therefore, for the common safety, they took off his irons, on 
condition that he would pilot the vessel during the remainder 
of her voyage. 

Ojeda acquitted himself with his accustomed spirit and 
intrepidity ; but the vessel had been already swept so far to 
the westward that all his skill was ineffectual in endeavouring 
to work up to Hispaniola against storms and adverse currents. 
Borne away by the guK stream, and tempest-tost for many 
days, until the shattered vessel was almost in a foundering 
condition, he saw no alternative but to run it on shore on the 
southern coast of Cuba. 

Here then the crew of freebooters landed from their prize in 
more desperate plight than when they first took possession of 
it. They were on a wild and unfrequented coast, their vessel 
lay a wreck upon the sands, and their only chance was to 
travel on foot to the eastern extremity of the island, and seek 
some means of crossing to Hispaniola, where, after their toils, 
they might perhaps only arrive to be thrown into a dungeon. 
Such, however, is the yearning of civilized men after the 
haunts of cultivated society, that they set out, at every 
risk, upon their long and painful journey. 



SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 



CHAPTEE X. 

TOILSOME MARCH OF OJEDA AND HIS COMPANIONS THROUGH THE 
MORASSES OF CUBA. 

NOTWITHSTANDING the recent services of Ojeda, the crew of 
Talavera still regarded him with hostility; but, if they had 
felt the value of his skill and courage at sea, they were no 
less sensible of their importance on shore, and he soon ac- 
quired that ascendency over them which belongs to a master- 
spirit in time of trouble. 

Cuba was as yet uncolonized. It was a place of refuge to 
the unhappy natives of Hayti, who fled hither from the 
whips and chains of their European task-masters. The for- 
ests abounded with these wretched fugitives, who often 
opposed themselves to the shipwrecked party, supposing 
them to be sent by their late masters to drag them back 
to captivity. 

Ojeda easily repulsed these attacks; but found that these 
fugitives had likewise inspired the villagers with hostility 
to all European strangers. Seeing that his companions 
were too feeble and disheartened to fight their way through 
the populous parts of the island, or to climb the rugged 
mountains of the interior, he avoided all towns and villages, 
and led them through the close forests and broad green 
sa.vannahs which extended betAveen the mountains and the 
sea. 

He had only made choice of evils. The forests gradually 
retired from the coast. The savannahs, where the Spaniards 
at first had to contend merely with long rank grass and creep- 
ing vines, soon ended in salt marshes, where the oozy bottom 
yielded no firm foot-hold, and the mud and water reached 
to their knees. Still they pressed forward, continually hop- 
ing in a little while to arrive at a firmer soil, and flattering 
themselves they beheld fresh meadow land before them, but 
continually deceived. The farther they proceeded, the deeper 
grew the mire, until, after they had been eight days on this 
dismal journey they found themselves in the centre of a vast 
morass where the water reached to their girdles. Though 
thus almost drowned, they were tormented with incessant 
thirst, for all the water around them was as briny as the 



THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. 65 

ocean. They suffered too the cravings of extreme hunger 
having but a scanty supply of cassava bread and cheese' 
and a few potatoes and other roots, which they devoured 
raw. When they wished to sleep they had to climb among 
the twisted roots of mangrove trees, which grew in clusters 
in the waters. Still the dreary marsh widened and deepened. 
In many places they had to cross rivers and inlets; where 
some, who could not swim, were drowned, and others were 
smothered in the mire. 

Their situation became wild and desperate. Their cassava 
bread was spoiled by the water, and their stock of roots 
nearly exhausted. The interminable morass still extended 
before them, while, to return, after the distance they had 
come, was hopeless. Ojeda alone kept up a resolute spirit, 
and cheered and urged them forward. He had the little 
Flemish painting of the Madonna, which had been given 
him by the Bishop Fonseca, carefully stored among the pro- 
visions in his knapsack. Whenever he stopped to repose 
among the roots of the mangrove trees, he took out this 
picture, placed it among the branches, and kneeling, prayed 
devoutly to the Virgin for protection. This he did repeatedly 
in the course of the day, and prevailed upon his companions to 
follow his example. Nay, more, at a moment of great de- 
spondency he made a solemn vow.to his patroness, that if she 
conducted him alive through this peril, he would erect a chapel 
in the first Indian village he should arrive at; and leave her 
picture there to remain an object of adoration to the Gentiles.* 
This frightful morass extended for the distance of thirty 
leagues, and was so deep and difficult, so entangled by roots 
and creeping vines, so cut up by creeks and rivers, and so 
beset by quagmires, that they were thirty days in traversing 
it. Out of the number of seventy men that set out from the 
ship but thirty-five remained. "Certain it is," observes the 
venerable Las Casas, "the sufferings of the Spaniards in the 
New World, in- search of wealth, have been more cruel and 
severe than ever nation in the world endured ; but those expe- 
rienced by Ojeda and his men have surpassed all others." 

They were at length so overcome by hunger and fatigue, 
that some lay down and yielded up the ghost, and others seat- 
ing themselves among the mangrove trees, waited in despair 
for death to put an end to their miseries. Ojeda, with a few of 

* Las Casas, Hist. Ind. I. ii. c. 60, MS, 



QQ SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

the lightest and most vigorous, continued to struggle forward, 
and, to their unutterable joy, at length arrived to where the 
land was firm and dry. They soon descried a foot-path, and, 
following it, arrived at an Indian village, commanded by a 
cacique called Cueybas. No sooner did they reach the village 
than they sank to the earth exhausted. 

The Indians gathered round and gazed at them with wonder ; 
but when they learnt their story, they exhibited a humanity 
that would have done honour to the most professing Chris- 
tians. They bore them to their dwellings, set meat and drink 
before them, and vied with each other in discharging the 
offices of the kindest humanity. Finding that a number of 
their companions were still in the morass, the cacique sent a 
large party of Indians with provisions for their relief, with 
orders to bring on their shoulders such as were too feeble to 
walk. " The Indians," says the Bishop Las Casas, "did more 
than they were ordered;* for so they always do, when they are 
not exasperated by ill treatment. The Spaniards were brought 
to the village, succoured, cherished, consoled, and almost wor- 
shipped as if they had been angels." 



CHAPTER XI. 

OJEDA PERFORMS HIS VOW TO THE VIRGIN. 

Being recovered from his sufferings, Alonzo de Ojeda pre- 
pared to perform his vow concerning the picture of the Virgin, 
though sorely must it have grieved him to part with a relique 
to which he attributed his deliverance from so many perils. 
He built a little hermitage or oratory in the village, and fur- 
nished it with an altar, above which he placed the picture. He 
then summoned the benevolent cacique, and explained to him 
as well as his limited knowledge of the language, or the aid of 
interpreters would permit, the main points of the Cathohc 
faith, and especially the history of the Virgin, whom he repre- 
sented as the mother of the Deity that reigned in the skies, and 
the great advocate for mortal man. 

' The worthy cacique listened to him with mute attention, and 
though he might not clearly comprehend the doctrine, yet he 
conceived a profound veneration for the picture. The senti- 
ment was shared by his subjects. They kept the little oratory 



i\ 



THIIW VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. e? 

always swept clean, and decorated it with cotton hangings 
laboured by their own hands, and with various votive offer- 
ings. They composed couplets or areytos in honour of the Vir- 
gin, which they sang to the accompaniment of rude musical 
instruments, dancing to the sound under the groves which 
surrounded the hermitage. 

A further anecdote concerning this relique may not be unac- 
ceptable. The venerable Las Casas, who records these facts 
informs us that he arrived at the village of Cueybas sometime 
alter the departure of Ojeda. He found the oratory preserved 
with the most religious care, as a sacred place, and the picture 
of the Virgin regarded with fond adoration. The poor Indians 
crowded to attend mass, which he performed at the altar- they 
listened attentively to his paternal instructions, and kt his 
request brought their children to be baptized. The good Las 
Casas, having heard much of this famous rehque of Ojeda, was 
desirous of obtaining possession of it, and offered to give the 
cacique in. exchange an image of the Virgin which he had 
brought with him. The chieftain made an evasive answer 
and seemed much troubled in mind. The next morning he did 
not make his appearance. 

Las Casas went to the oratory to perform mass, but found 
the altar stripped of its precious relique. On inquiring, he 
learnt that in the night the cacique had fled to the woods, 
bearing oft' with him his beloved picture of the Virgin. It was 
in vain that Las Casas sent messengers after him, assuring him 
that he should not be deprived of the relique, but on the con- 
trary, that the image should likewise be presented to him. 
The cacique refused to venture from the fastnesses of the for- 
est, nor did he return to his village and replace the picture in 
the oratory until after the departure of the Spaniards.* 



CHAPTER XII. 

ARRIVAL OF OJEDA AT JAMAICA— HIS RECEPTION BY JUAN DE 

ESQUIBEL. 

When the Spaniards were completely restored to health and 
strength, they resumed their journey. The cacique sent a 
large body of his subjects to carry their provisions and knap- 

^ * Las Casas, Hist. Ind., c. 61, MS.— Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. i. 1. ix. c. xv. 



68 SPAmsII VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 

sacks, and to guide them across a desert tract of country to the 
province of Macaca, where Chi-istopher Columbus had been 
hospitably entertained on his voyage along this coast. They 
experienced equal kindness from its cacique and his people, for 
such seems to have been almost invariably the case with the 
natives of these islands, before they had held much inter- 
course with the Europeans. 

The province of Macaca was situated at Cape de la Cruz, the 
nearest point to the island of Jamaica. Here Ojeda learnt that 
there were Spaniards settled on that island, being in fact the 
party commanded by the very Juan de Esquibel whose head he 
had threatened to strike off, when departing in swellmg style 
from San Domingo. It seemed to be the fortune of Ojeda to 
have his bravadoes visited on his head in times of trouble and 
humihation. He found himself compelled to apply for succour 
to the very man he had so vain-gloriously menaced. This was 
no time, however, to stand on points of pride ; he procured a 
canoe and Indians from the cacique of Macaca, and one Pedro 
de Ordas undertook the perilous voyage of twenty leagues in 
the frail bark, and arrived safe at Jamaica. 

No sooner did Esquibel receive the message of Ojeda, than, 
forgetting past menaces, he instantly despatched a caravel to 
bring to him the unfortunate discoverer and his companions. 
He received him with the utmost kindness, lodged him in his 
own house, and treated him in all things with the most delicate 
attention. He was a gentleman who had seen prosperous days, 
but had fallen into adversity and been buffeted about the 
world, and had learnt how to respect the feelings of a proud 
spirit in distress. Ojeda had the warm, touchy heart to feci 
such conduct ; he remained several days with Esquibel in 
frank communion, and when he sailed for San Domingo they 
parted the best of friends. 

And here we cannot but remark the singular difference in 
character and conduct of these Spanish adventurers when deal- 
ing with each other, or with the unhappy natives. Nothing 
could be more chivalrous, urbane, and charitable; nothing 
more pregnant with noble sacrifices of passion and interest, 
with magnanimous instances of forgiveness of injuries and 
noble contests of generosity, than the transactions of the dis- 
coverers with each other ; but the moment they turned to treat 
with the Indians, even with brave and high-minded caciques, 
they were vindictive, blood-thirsty, and implacable. The very 
Juan de Esquibel, who could requite the recent hostility of 



TTTTRD voyage of ALONZO mj OJKDA. 



m 



Ojeda with such humanity and friendship, was the same who 
under the government of Ovando, laid desolate the province of 
Higuey m Hispamola, and inflicted atrocious cruelties upon 
its inhabitants. ^ 

When Alonzo de Ojeda set sail for San Domingo, Bernardino 
de Talavera and his rabble adherents remained at Jamaica 
Ihey feared to be brought to account for their piratical exploit 
m stealing the Genoese vessel, and that in consequence of their 
recent violence to Ojeda, they would find in him an accuser 
rather than an advocate. The latter, however, in the opinion 
ot Las Casas, who knew him weU, was not a man to make ac- 
cusations. With all his faults he did not harbour malice He 
was quick and fiery, it is true, and his sword was too apt to 
leap from its scabbard on the least provocation; but after the 
first flash all was over, and, if he cooled upon an iniury he 
never sought for vengeance. ' 



CHAPTER XIII. 



ARRIVAL OF ALONZO DE OJEDA AT SAN DOMINGO— CONCLUSION 
OF HIS STORY. 

On arriving at San Domingo the first inquiry of Alonzo de 
Ojeda was after the Bachelor Enciso. He was told that he had 
departed long before, with abundant suppHes for the colony 
and that nothing had been heard of him since his departure' 
Ojeda waited for a time, in hopes of hearing, by some return 
ship, of the safe arrival of the Bachelor at San Sebastian. No 
tidings, however, arrived, and he began to fear that he had 
been lost m those storms which had beset himself on his return 
voyage. 

Anxious for the relief of his settlement, and fearing that by 
delay, his whole scheme of colonization would be defeated he 
now endeavoured to set on foot another armament, and to en- 
hst a new set of adventurers. His efforts, however, were all 
ineffectual. The disasters of his colony were known, and his 
own circumstances were considered desperate. He was doomed 
to experience the fate that too often attends sanguine and bril- 
liant projectors. The world is dazzled by them for a time, and 
hails them as heroes while successful ; but misfortune dissipates 



70 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DTSCOVKRY, 

the charm, and they become stigmatized with the appellation 
of adventurers. When Ojeda figured in San Domingo as the 
conqueror of Coanabo, as the commander of a squadron, as the 
governor of a province, his prowess and exploits were the 
theme of every tongue. When he set sail, in vaunting style, 
for his seat of government, setting the viceroy at defiance, 
and threatening the life of Esquibel, every one thought that 
fortune was at his beck, and he was about to accomplish won- 
ders. A few months had elapsed, and he walked the streets of 
San Domingo a needy man, shipwrecked in hope and fortune. 
His former friends, dreading some new demand upon their 
purses, looked coldly on him; his schemes, once so extolled, 
were now pronounced wild and chimerical, and he was sub- 
jected to all kinds of slights and humiliations in the very place 
which had been the scene of his greatest vain-giory. 

While Ojeda was thus lingering at San Domingo, the Admi- 
ral, Don Diego Columbus, sent a party of soldiers to Jamaica 
to arrest Talavera and his pirate crew. They were brought in 
chains to San Domingo, thrown into dungeons, and tried tor 
the robbery of the Genoese vessel. Their crime was too notori- 
ous to admit of doubt, and being convicted, Talavera and sev- 
eral of his principal accomplices were hanged. Such was the 
end of their frightful journey by sea and land. Never had 
vagabonds travelled farther or toiled harder to arrive at a gal- 
lows! 

In the course of the trial Ojeda had naturally been summoned 
as a witness, and his testimony must have tended greatly to 
the conviction of the culprits. This drew upon him the ven- 
geance of the surviving comrades of Talavera, who still lurked 
about San Domingo. As he was returning home one night at 
a late hour he was waylaid and set upon by a number of these 
miscreants: He displayed his usual spirit. Settmg his back 
against a wall, and drawing his sword, he defended himself ad 
mirably against the whole gang ; nor was he content with beat- 
ing them off, but pursued them for some distance through the 
streets ; and having thus put them to utter rout, returned tran- 
quil and unharmed to his lodgings. 

This is the last achievement recorded of the gallant, but reck- 
less, Ojeda; for here his bustling career terminated, and he 
sank into the obscurity that gathers round a ruined man. His 
health was broken by the various hardships he had sustained, 
and by the lurking effects of the wound received at San Sebas- 
tian, which had been but imperfectly cured. Poverty and ne- 



THIIW VOYAGE OF ALOJS'ZO DE OJEDA. 71 

gleet, and the corroding sickness of the heart, contributed, no 
less than the maladies of the body, to quench that sanguine 
and fiery temper, which had hitherto been the secret of his 
success, and to render him the mere wreck of his former self; 
for there is no ruin so hopeless and complete as that of a tower- 
ing spirit humiliated and broken down. He appears to have 
lingered some time at San Domingo. Gomara, in his history 
of the Indies, affirms that he turned monk, and entered in the 
convent at San Francisco, where he died. Such a change 
would not have been surprising in a man who, in his wildest 
career, mingled the bigot with the soldier; nor was it unusual 
with military adventurers in those days, after passing their 
youth in the bustle and licentiousness of the camp, to end their 
days in the quiet and mortification of the cloister. Las Oasas, 
however, who was at San Domingo at the time, makes no men- 
tion of the fact, as he certainly would have done had it taken 
place. He confirms, however, all that has been said of the 
striking reverse in his character and circumstances; and he 
adds an affecting picture of his last moments, which may serve 
as a wholesome comment on his life. He died so poor, that he 
did not leave money enough to provide for his interment ; and 
so broken in spirit, that, with his last breath, he entreated his 
body might be buried in the monastery of San Francisco, just 
at the portal, in humble expiation of his past pride, ' ' that every 
one who entered might tread upon his grave.''''* 

Such was the fate of Alonzo de Ojeda, —and who does not 
forget his errors and his faults at the threshold of his humble 
and untimely grave ! He was one of the most fearless and 
aspiring of that band of "Ocean chivalry" that followed the 
footsteps of Columbus. His story presents a lively picture of 
the daring enterprises, the extravagant exploits, the thousand 
accidents, by flood and field, that chequered the life of a 
Spanish cavalier in that roving and romantic age. 

"Never," says Charlevoix, "was man more suited for a 
coup-de-main, or to achieve and suffer great things under the 
direction of another : none had a heart more lofty, or ambition 
more aspiring ; none ever took less heed of fortune, or showed 
greater firmness of soul, or found more resources in his own 
courage; but none was less calculated to be commander-in- 
chief of a great enterprise. Good management and good for- 
tune for ever failed him."t 

* Las Casas, ubi sup. f Charlevoix, Hist, S. Pomin^, 



72 SPAmSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 



THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE NICUESA, 



CHAPTER I. 

NICUESA SAILS TO THE WESTWARD— HIS SHIPWRECK AND SUB- 
SEQUENT DISASTERS. 

We have now to recount the fortunes experienced by the 
gallant and generous Diego de Nicuesa, after his parting frosn 
Alonzo de Ojeda at Carthagena. On resuming his voyage he 
embarked in a caravel, that he might be able to coast the land 
and reconnoitre ; he ordered that the two brigantines, one of 
which was commanded by his lieutenant, Lope de Olano, 
should keep near to him, while the large vessels, which drew 
more water, should stand further out to sea. The squadron 
arrived upon the coast of Veragua, in stormy weather, and, as 
Nicuesa could not find any safe harbour, and was apprehensive 
of rocks and shoals, he stood out to sea at the approach of 
night, supposing that Lope de Olano would follow him with 
the brigantines according to his orders. The night was bois- 
terous, the caravel was much tossed and driven about, and 
when tlie morning dawned, not one of the squadron was in 

sight. 

Nicuesa feared some accident had befallen the brigantines ; 
he stood for the land and coasted along it in search of them 
until he came to a large river, into wliich he entered and came 
to anchor. He had not been here long when the stream sud- 
denly subsided, having merely been swoln by the rains. 
Before he had time to extricate hunself the caravel grounded, 
and at length fell over on one side. The current rushing like 
a torrent strained the feeble bark to such a degree, that her 
seams yawned, and she appeared ready to go to pieces. In 
this moment of peril a hardy seamen threw himself into the 
water to carry the end of a rope on shore as a means of saving 
the crew. He was swept away by the furious current and 
perished in sight of his companions. Undismayed by his fate, 



THE VOYAGK OV mm., 1,B NWVESA. y.. 

firmly to a tree and the otLr ? "'''' ""*' ''"^^ "^ ^ r"Pc 

reached the shore in safety. ^ ""'' ^'°"8 '*' '^"'I 

Scarcely had they landed when the caravel went t. • 
and with it perished their provisions o^ntlTfn J V n^""''''' 
necessaries. Nothing remained fTfi' ""'"''""S^ ^^^ all other 
caravel, which was^S^.^ca t nThot' nLet If ^ 
were, in helpless plight on a remote TrT *'"''" ^^''^ 

food, without arnL,LdTlmost nak«r ^Itt^'^fl: "'*°"* 
the rest of the so ladron \\.Z i "*' ''^'^ become of 

the brigantines ha'rberwt'ked"Tthet ^''T^'^^^-^ *»■-* 
Lope de Olano had been one of the ioost wtl ^ ™"'* *'^^* 
ated with Francisco Roldpn ;„ i T ,t ''^'"^'ess men confeder- 

and, judgi„gir°f,^^rtL'"ctoTif ^^^^^^^^ 
hinted their apprehensions that he had deserted wfththT'''' 
antmes. Nici.esa partook of their susni^W 7 **' ''"^" 
and sad at heart. He concea ed his ?n«^ ' J'"^ '*°^''>"'^ 
endeavoured to cheer up his comnam-onr ''' ^''^''^'''' "^"^^ 
should proceed westward on fooTL Tar liTve''"^ "W' "^^^ 
of his intended government, XervW that If tr\*'''ri 
survived the tempest, they wou^d r,mh«w, • ^'P^ ^""^ 

place. They accordin^lv Z^ Tff i ^'^'1'?'*^'^ I'epa"- to that 

thickness of'^thrf^fe "prevented theTt™' '"* ''^^^ ^^^ *'^« 
Four of the hardiest sSlorr S^to Tea r^T *^ ^"**'"°''- 

of^^res^d-^n;^^^^^^^^^ 
&^;i™f^srd\-irs™^g^^^^^^^ 

across rank fens and mor^^nd drowned tt'rX 7^'^ 
erse deep and rapid streams ®' ""^ *° *''a^- 

ereTaL'rttThor?'H.d1ht r' "^^ ^"^ shellfish gath- 
would have dreaded in 7hl^^ "■ ™^* ^"^ ^""^^ans they 
for provisio,; tstlh y ould tokr"* '*^*''' ^ ^"^'^ '" *'^''« 
committed alngthis7oatTfo:L'^,^:;:Xf ^"^ °"*^^^^ 

dolThtLtTth^sSXh "*4^ ^'•^^ -- - 

they had not been driten ' I "^tfr^'^''' "^^ ^'^iP^-'-eck, 
step would take then^ lo muchMrS^'^f """'^ '''"^ "^'^^ 
fiaven. - ''^■^*'''^' f''<^'» their desired 



74 SPANIBB VOYAGES OF DISGOVmY. 

Still they laboured feebly forward, encouraged by the words 
and the example of Nicuesa, who cheerfuUy partook of the 
toils and hardships of the meanest o£ his men. 

They had slept one night at the foot of impending rocK and 
were about to resume their weary march m the morning, 
when they were espied by some Indians from a neighbouring 
height Among the followers of Nicuesa was a favourite page 
whose tatteredlnery and white hat caught the -OUick eyes of 
the savages. One of them immediately singled him out, and 
takiS a deadly aim, let fly an arrow that laid him expiring at 
the feet of his Laster. While the generous cav^h^r mourned 
over his slaughtered page, consternation prevailed among his 
c:mpanions,'each fearin'g for his own Ufa The In« how^ 
ever did not follow up this casual act of hostility, but suffered 
the Spaniards to pui-sue their painfiJ journey — lested^ 

Arriving one day at the point of a great ''ay that lan fai 
inland, they were conveyed, a few at a time, "J f « ^f * *« 
what appeared to be the opposite point. Bemg alHanded, and 
ilsuming their march, they found to their surprise that they 
were o/an island, separated from the ™a™ »and by a great 
arm of the sea. The sailors who managed the boat were too 
we^ry to take them to the opposite shore; they remained 
therefore all night upon the island. ^ . . .„ ,.^„„ ^„„ 

In the morning they prepared to depart, but to then con- 
sternation, the boat with the four marinei-s had disappeared^ 
They ran anxiously from point to point, uttermg shouts and 
cries, in hopes the boat might be in some inlet; they clain- 
bored the rocks and strained their eyes over the sea. It was 
aU in vain. No boat was to be seen; no voice responded to 
their call; it was too evident the four mariners had either per- 
ished or had deserted them. 



CHAPTER II. 

NICUESA AND HIS MEN ON A DESOLATE ISLAND. 

THE Situation of Nicuesa and his men ^f dreary and des- 
perate in the extreme. They were on a desolate f ^nd ^^oid^^; 
ng upon a swampy coast, in a remote and lonely ^'^^'J'^^^ 
coLnerce never spread a sail. Their '=omPanions in the o^h^ 
Ships, if still alive and ti-ue to them, had doubtless given them 



THE VOTAQE OF DIEGO BE NICUESA. 75 

up for lost; and many years might elapse before the casual 
bark of a discoverer might ventiu-e along these shores. Long 
before that time their fate would be sealed, and their bones 
bleaching on the sands would alone tell their story. 

In this hopeless state many abandoned themselves to frantic 
grief, wandering about the island, wringing their hands and 
uttering groans and lamentations ; others called upon God for 
succour, and many sat down in silent and sullen despair. 

The cravings of hunger and thirst at length roused them to 
exertion. They found no food but a few shell-fish scattered 
along the shore, and coarse herbs and roots, some of them of 
an unwholesome quality. The island had neither springs nor 
streams of fresh water, and they were fain to slake their thirst 
at the brackish pools of the marshes. 

Nicuesa endeavoured to animate his men with new hopes. 
He employed them in constructing a raft of drift-wood and 
branches of trees, for the purpose of crossing the arm of the 
sea that separated them from the main land. It was a difficult 
task, for they were destitute of tools, and when the raft was 
finished they had no oars with which to manage it. Some of 
the most expert swinuners undertook to propel it, but they 
were too much enfeebled by their sufferings. On their first 
essay the currents which sweep that coast bore the raft out to 
sea, and they swam back with difficulty to the island. Having 
no other chance of escape, and no other means of exercising 
and keeping up the spirits of his followers, Nicuesa repeatedly 
ordered new rafts to be constructed, but the result was always 
the same, and the men at length either grew too feeble to work 
or renounced the attempt in despair. 

Thus, day after day and week after week elapsed without 
any mitigation of suffering or any prospect of relief. Every 
day some one or other sank under his miseries, a victim not so 
much to hunger and thirst as to grief and despondency. His . 
death was envied by his wretched survivors, many of whom 
were reduced to such debility that they had to crawl on hands 
and knees in search of the herbs and shell-fish which formed 
their scanty food. 



76 SPANISH VOYAGES OF mSCOVERT, 

CHAPTER III. 

ARRIVAL OF A BOAT— CONDUCT OF LOPE DE OLANO. 

When the unfortunate Spaniards, without hope of succour, 
began to consider death as a desirable end to their miseries, 
they were roused to new hfe one day by beholding a sail gleam- 
ing on the horizon. Their exultation was checked, however, 
by the reflection how many chances there were against its 
approaching this wild and desolate island. Watching it with 
anxious eyes they put up prayers to God to conduct it to their 
relief, and at length, to their great joy, they perceived that it 
was steering directly for the island. On a nearer approach it 
proved to be one of the brigantines that had been commanded 
by Lope de Olano. It came to anchor : a boat put off, and 
among the crew were the four sailors who had disappeared so 
mysteriously from the island. 

These men accounted in a satisfactory manner for their de- 
sertion. They had been persuaded that the ships were in some 
harbour to the eastward, and that they were daily leavir^g them 
farther behind. Disheartened at the constant, and, in their 
opinion, fruitless toil which fell to their share in the struggle 
westward, they resolved to take their own counsel, without 
risking the opposition of Nicuesa. In the dead of the night, 
therefore, when their companions on the island were asleep, 
they had silently cast off their boat, and retraced their course 
along the coast. After several days' toil they found the brig- 
antines under the command of Lope de Olano, in the river of 
Belen, the scene of the disasters of Columbus in his fourth 
voyage. 

The conduct of Lope de Olano was regarded with suspicion 
by his contemporaries, and is still subject to doubt. He is 
supposed to have deserted Nicuesa designedly, intending to 
usurp the command of the expedition. Men, however, Avere 
prone to judge harshly of him from his having been concerned 
in the treason and rebellion of Francisco Roldan. On the 
stormy night when Nicuesa stood out to sea to avoid the dan- 
gers of the shore, Olano took shelter under the lee of an island. 
Seeing nothing of the caravel of his commander in the morn- 
ing, he made no effort to seek for it, but proceeded with the 
»--igantines to the river Chagres, where he found the ships at 



THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE NIGUESA. 77 

anchor. They had landed all their cargo, being almost in a 
sinking condition from the ravages of the worms. Olano per- 
suaded the crews that Nicuesa had perished in the late storm, 
and, being his lieutenant, he assumed the command. Whether 
he had been perfidious or not in his motives, his command was 
but a succession of disasters. He sailed from Chagres for the 
river of Belen, where the ships were found so damaged that 
they had to be broken to pieces. Most of the people construct- 
ed wretched cabins on the shore, where, during a sudden 
storm, they were almost washed away by the swelling of the 
river, or swallowed up in the shifting sands. Several of his 
men were drov/ned in an expedition in quest of gold, and he 
himself merely escaped by superior swinnning. Their provi- 
sions were exhausted, they suffered from hunger and from va- 
rious maladies, and many perished in extreme misery. All 
were clamorous to abandon the coast, and Olano set about con- 
structing a caravel, out of the wreck of the ships, for the pur- 
pose, as he said, of returning to Hispaniola, though many 
suspected it was still his intention to persist in the enterprise. 
Such was the state in which the four seamen had found Olano 
and his party ; most of them living in miserable cabins and 
destitute of the necessaries of life. 

The tidings that Nicuesa was still alive put an end to the 
sway of Olano. Whether he had acted with truth or perfidy, 
he now manifested a zeal to relieve his commander, and imme- 
diately despatched a brigantine in quest of him, which, guided 
by the four seamen, arrived at the island in the way that has 
been mentioned. 



CHAPTER IV. 

NICUESA REJOINS HIS CREWS. 

When the crew of the b igantine and the companions of 
Nicuesa met, they embraced each other with tears, for the 
hearts, even of the rough mariners, were subdued by the sor- 
rows they had undergone ; and men are rendered kind to each 
other by a community of suffering. The brigantine had 
brought a quantity of palm nuts, and of such other articles of 
food as they had been able to procure along the coast. These 
the famished Spaniards devoured with such voracity that 
Nicuesa was obliged to interfere, l^^f fh^v should injure them- 



78 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

selves. Nor was the supply of fresh water less gratehil to 
their parched and fevered palates. 

When sufficiently revived, they all abandoned the desolate 
island, and set sail for the river Belen, exulting as joyfully as 
if their troubles were at an end, and they were bound to a 
haven of delight, instead of merely changing the scene of 
suffering and encountering a new variety of horrors. 

In the mean time Lope de Olano had been dihgently prepar- 
ing for the approaching interview with his commander, by 
persuading his fellow officers to intercede in his behalf, and to 
place his late conduct in the most favourable light. He had 
need of their intercessions. Nicuesa arrived, bm-ning with 
indignation. He ordered him to be instantly seized and pim- 
ished as a traitor ; attributing to his desertion the ruin of the 
enterprise and the sufferings and death of so many of his brave 
followers. The fellow captains of Olano spoke in his favour ; 
but Nicuesa turned indignantly upon them: ''You do well," 
cried he, "to supphcate mercy for him; you, who, yourselves, 
have need of pardon! You have pai-ticipated in his crime; 
why else have you suffered so long a time to elapse without 
compelling him to send one of the vessels in search of me?" 

The captains now vindicated themselves by assm'ances of 
their behet in his having fomidered at sea. They reiterated 
their supplications for mercy to Olano; drawing the most 
affecting pictures of their past and present sufferings, and 
urging the impolicy of increasing the horrors of their situation 
by acts of severity. Nicuesa at length was prevailed upon to 
spare his victim ; resolving to send him, by the first opportun- 
ity, a prisoner to Spain. It appeared, in truth, no time to add 
to the daily blows of fate that were thinning the number of 
his followers. Of the gallant armament of seven hundred 
resolute and effective men that had sailed with him from 
San Domingo, four hundred had already perished by various 
miseries ; and of the survivors, many could scarcely be said to 
live. 



CHAPTER V. 



SUFFERINGS OF NICUESA AND HIS MEN ON THE COAST OF THE 

ISTHMUS. 

The first care of Nicuesa, on resuming the general com m and, 
was to take >T^e<»«nr^s for the relief of his people, w^-^ ^0^/* 



'riiE voYAuh: OF Dimo dh mcuesa. 79 

perishing with famine and disease. All those who were in 
health, or who had strength sufficient to bear the least fatigue, 
were sent on foraging parties among the fields and villages of 
the natives. It was a service of extreme peril ; for the Indians 
of this part of the coast were fierce and warlike, and were the 
same who had proved so formidable to Columbus and his 
brother when they attempted to found a settlement in this 
neighbourhood. 

Many of the Spaniards were slain in these expeditions. Even 
if they succeeded in collecting provisions, the toil of bringing 
them to the harbour was worse to men in their enfeebled con- 
dition than the task of fighting for them ; for they were obliged 
to transport them on their backs, and, thus heavily laden, to 
scramble aver rugged rocks, through almost impervious 
forests, and across dismal swamps. 

Harassed by these perils and fatigues, they broke forth into 
murmurs against their commander, accusing him, not merely 
of indifference to their sufferings, but of wantonly* imposing 
severe and unnecessary tasks upon them out of revenge for 
their having neglected him. 

The genial temper of Nicucsa had, in fact, been soured by 
disappointment ; and a series of harassing cares and evils had 
rendered him irritable and impatient ; but he was a cavalier of 
a generous and honourable nature, and does not appear to have 
enforced any services that were not indispensable to the com- 
mon safety. In fact, the famine had increased to such a 
degree, that, we are told, thirty Spaniards, having on one 
occasion found the dead body of an Indian in a state of decay, 
they were driven by hunger to make a meal of it, and Avere so 
infected by the horrible repast, that not one of them survived.* 

Disheartened by these miseries, Nicuesa determined to aban- 
don a place which seemed destined to be the grave of Span- 
iards. Embarking the greater part of his men in the two 
brigantines and the- caravel which had been built by Olano, he 
set sail eastward in search of some more favourable situation 
for his settlement. A number of the men remained behind to 
await the ripening of some maize and vegetables which they 
had sown. These he left under the command of Alonzo Nunez, 
whom he nominated his Alcalde Mayor. 

When Nicuesa had coasted about four leagues to the east, a 
Genoese sailor, who had been with Columbus in his last voy- 



* Herrera, Hist. lud. D. i, ftpd viii. c. 



80 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVEUY. 

age, informed him that there was a fine harbour somewhere 
in that neighbourhood, which had pleased the old admiral so 
highly that he had given it the name of Puerto Bello. He 
added that they might know the harbour by an anchor, half 
buried in the sand, which Columbus had left there; near to 
which was a fountain of remarkably cool and sweet water 
springing up at the foot of a large tree. Nicuesa ordered 
search to be made along the coast, and at length they found 
the anchor, the fountain, and the tree. It was the same har- 
bour which bears the name of Portobello at the present day. 
A number of the crew were sent on shore in search of provi- 
sions, but were assailed by the Indians ; and, being too weak 
to wield their weapons with their usual prowess, were driven 
back to the vessels with the loss of several slain or wounded. 

Dejected at these contmual misfortunes, Nicuesa continued 
his voyage seven leagues farther, until he came to the harbour 
to which Columbus had given the name of Puerto de Bastimi- 
entos, or Port of Provisions. It presented an advantageous 
situation for a fortress, and was surrounded by a fruitful coun- 
try. Nicuesa resolved to make it his abiding place. "Here," 
said he, " let us stop, en el nombre de DiosP^ (in the name of 
God.) His followers, with the superstitious feeling with 
which men in adversity are prone to interpret every thing 
into omens, persuaded themselves that there was favourable 
augury in his words, and called the harbour "Nombre de 
Dios," which name it afterwards retained. 

Nicuesa now landed, and, drawing his sword, took solemn 
possession in the name of the Catholic sovereigns. He im- 
mediately began to erect a fortress to protect his people 
against the attacks of the savages. As this was a case of exi- 
gency, he exacted the labour of every one capable of exertion. 
The Spaniards, thus equally distressed by famine and toil, for- 
got their favourable omen, cursed the place as fated to be their 
grave, and called down imprecations on the head of their com- 
mander, who compelled them to labour when ready to sink 
with hunger and debility. Those murmured no less who were 
sent in quest of food, v/hich was only to be gained by fatigue 
and bloodshed; for, whatever they collected, they had to 
transport from great distances, and they were frequently 
waylaid and assaulted by the Indians. 

When he could spare men for the purpose, Nicuesa de- 
spatched the caravel for those whom he had left at the river 
Belen. Many of them had perished, and the survivors had 



TUE VOYAGE OP PtEGO DH NiCUESA. 81 

been reduced to such famine at times as to eat all kinds of 
reptiles, until a part of an alligator was a banquet to them. 
On mustering all his forces when thus united, Nicuesa found 
that but one hundred emaciated and dejected wretches re- 
mained. 

He despatched the caravel to Hispaniola, to bring a quan- 
tity of bacon which he had ordered to have prepared there, 
but it never returned. He ordered Gonzalo de Badajos, at the 
head of twenty men, to scour the country for provisions; but 
the Indians had ceased to cultivate ; they could do with little 
food, and could subsist on the roots and wild fruits of the forest. 
The Spaniards, therefore, found deserted villages and barren 
fields, but lurking enemies at every defile. So deplorably 
were they reduced by their sufferings, that at length there 
were not left a sufficient number in health and strength to 
mount guard at night; and the fortress remained without 
sentinels. Such was the desperate situation of this once gay 
and gallant cavalier, and of his brilliant armament, which but 
a f ew^ months before had salhed from San Domingo, flushed 
with the consciousness of power and the assurance that they 
had the means of compelling the favours of fortune. 

It is necessary to leave them for a while, and turn our atten- 
tion to other events which will ultimately be found to bear 
upon their destinies. 



CHAPTER VI. 



EXPEDITION OF THE BACHELOR ENCISO IN SEARCH OF THE SEAT 
OF GOVERNMENT OF OJEDA. — (1510.) 

In calling to mind the narrative of the last expedition of 
Alonzo de Ojeda, the reader will doubtless remember the 
Bachelor Martin Fernandez de Enciso, who was inspired by 
that adventurous cavaher with an ill-starred passion for 
colonizing, and freighted a vessel at San Domingo with rein- 
forcements and supplies for the settlement at San Sebastian. 

When the Bachelor was on the eve of sailing, a number of 
the loose hangers-on of the colony, and men encumbered with 
debt, concerted to join his ship from the coast and the out- 
ports. Their creditors, however, getting notice of their inten- 
tion, kept a close watch upon every one that went on board 



B2 sPANisji vovAaE^s 01'' niscoVEiiY. 

while in the harbour, and obtained an armed vessel from the 
Admii-al Don Diego Columbus, to escort the enterprishig Bach- 
elor clear of the island. One man, however, contrived to 
elude these precautions, and as he afterwards rose to great 
importance, it is proper to notice him particularly. His name 
was Vasco Nuiiez de Balboa. He was a native of Xeres de los 
Caballeros, and of a noble though impoverished family. He 
had been brought up in the service of Don Puerto Carrero, 
Lord of Moguer, and he afterwards enlisted among the adven- 
turers who accompanied Rodrigo de Bastides in his voyage of 
discovery. Peter Martyr, in his Latin decades, speaks of him 
by the appellation of "egregius digladiator, " which has been 
interpreted by some as a skilful swordsman, by others as an 
adroit fencing master. He intimates, also, that he was a mere 
soldier of fortune, of loose prodigal habits, and the circum- 
stances under which he is first introduced to us justify this 
character. He had fixed himself for a time in Hispaniola, and 
undertaken to cultivate a farm at the town of Salvatierra, on 
the sea coast, but in a little time had completely involved him- 
self in debt. The expedition of Enciso presented him with an 
opportunity of escaping from his embarrassments, and of in- 
dulging his adventurous habits. To elude the vigilance of his 
creditors and of the armed escort, he concealed himself in a 
cask, which was conveyed from his farm on the sea coast on 
board of the vessel, as if containing provisions for the voyage. 
When the vessel was fairly out at sea, and abandoned by the 
escort, Vasco Nunez emerged like an apparition from his cask, 
to the great surprise of Enciso, who had been totally ignorant 
of the stratagem. The Bachelor was indignant at being thus 
outwitted, even though he gained a recruit by the deception ; 
and in the first ebullition of his wrath gave the fugitive debtor 
a very rough reception, threatening to put him on shore on 
the first uninhabited island they should encounter. Vasco 
Nunez, however, succeeded in pacifying him, "for God," says 
the venerable Las Casas, ' ' reserved him for greater things. " It 
is probable the Bachelor beheld in him a man well fitted for 
his expedition, for Vasco Nuiiez was in the prime and vigour 
of his days, tall and muscular, seasoned to hardships, and of 
intrepid spirit. 

Arriving at the main land, they touched at the fatal harbour 
of Carthagena, the scene of the sanguinary conflicts of Ojeda 
and Nicuesa with the natives, and of the death of the brave Juan 
de la Oosa. Enciiso was ignorant of those events, having ha(i 



THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO BE NICUESA. 83 

no tidings from those adventurers since their departure from 
San Domingo; without any hesitation, therefore, he landed a 
number of his men to repair his boat, which was damaged, 
and to procure water. While the men were working upon the 
boat, a multitude of Indians gathered at a distance, well 
armed, and with menacing aspect, sounding their shells and 
brandishing their weapons. The experience they had had of 
the tremendous powers of the strangers, however, rendered 
them cautious of attacking, and for three days they hovered 
in this manner about the Spaniards, the latter bemg obliged to 
keep continually on the alert. At length two of the Spaniards 
ventured one day from the main body to fill a water cask from 
the adjacent river. Scarcely had they reached the margin of 
the stream, when eleven savages sprang from the thickets and 
surrounded them, bending their bows and pointing then- 
arrows In this way they stood for a moment or two m fear- 
ful suspense, the Indians refraining from discharging their 
shafts, but keeping them constantly pointed at their breasts. 
One of the Spaniards attempted to escape to his comrades, 
who were repairing the boat, but the other called him back, 
and understanding something of the Indian tongue, addressed 
a few amicable words to the savages. The latter, astonished 
at being spoken to in their own language, now relaxed a little 
from their fierceness, and demanded of the strangers who they 
were, who were their leaders, and what they sought upon their 
shores. The Spaniard replied that they were harmless people 
who came from other lands, and merely touched there through 
necessity, and he wondered that they should meet them with 
such hostility; he at the same time warned them to beware, 
as there would come many of his countrymen well armed, and 
v/ould wreak terrible vengeance upon them for any nuschief 
they might do. While they were thus parleying, the Bachelor 
Enciso, hearing that two of his men were surrounded by the 
savages, sallied instantly from his ship, and hastened with an 
armed force to their rescue. As he approached, however, the 
Spaniard who had held the parley made him a signal that the 
natives were pacific. In fact, the latter had supposed that 
this was a new invasion of Ojeda and Nicuesa, and had thus 
arrayed themselves, if not to take vengeance for past out- 
rages, at least to defend their houses from a second desolation. 
When they were convinced, however, that these were a totaUy 
different band of strangers, and without hostile intentions, 
their animosity was at an end; they threw by their weapons 



84 SPANISB V0TAGB8 OF DISCOVERT. 

and came forward with the most confiding frankness. Dunne 
the whole time that the Spaniards remained there thev 
treated them with the greatest friendship, supplying them 
with bread made from maize, with saJted fish, Xd 4th tte 
fermented and spirituous beverages common along that coast 
Such was the magnanimous conduct of men who were ro,, 
sidered among the most ferocious and warhke of these savase 
nations; and who but recently had beheld their shores T 
vaded, their viUages ravaged and burnt, and their friends and 
relations butchered, without regard to age or sex by X 
countrymen of these very strangers. When we recaU the 
bloody andindiscriminate vengeance wreaked upon this people 
by Ojeda and his followers for their justifiabte resistance of 
invasion and compare it with their placable and considerate 
spmt when an opportunity for revenge presented itself we 
confess we feel a momentary doubt whether the arbitrar; I! 
pellation of savage is always applied to the right party 



CHAPTER Vn. 



THE BACHELOE HEARS UNWELCOME TIDINGS OP HIS DESTINED 
JURISDICTION. 

Not long after the arrival of Enciso at this eventful harbour 
he.was surprised by the circumstance of a brigantine enterW 
and coming to anchor. To encounter an European saU In tW 

™rncrb,itT T' T "'"^•^" '-' -"^--nd striMng *! 
currence, but the astonishment of the Bachelor was mingled 
with alarm when, on boarding the brigantine, he founffl H 
was manned by a number of the men who had embarked wth 
Ojeda. His first idea was, that they had mutinied aSnst tMr 
commander, and deserted with the vessel. The feehnS of thl 
magistrate were aroused within him by the suspki3n and he 
determined to take his flret step as Alcalde Mayor by seizing 

tZ''w'f''''l^ °" ^""^ *^^ severity of the fe^f He af 
tered his tone, however, on conversing with their iwlte 
commander. This was no other than FranrW^ lesolute 
whom Ojeda had left as his locum tenensTsTsebX:' 
and who showed the Bachelor his letter patent, dgned by tha* 
unfortunate governor. In fact, the little hvis^nt^TcolJJzl 
the sad remnant of the once vaunted colonf. After tWe 



THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE NICUE8A. 85 

mrtureof Ojeda in the pirate ship, his followers, whom he 
had left behind under the command of Pizarro, contmued in 
the fortress until the stipulated term of fifty days had expired. 
Receiving: no succour, and hearing no tidmgs of Oaeda they 
then determined to embark and sail for Hispaniola; but here 
anunthought-of difficulty presented itself: fey were seventy 
innumber^and the two brigantines which had been left with - 
them were incapable of taking so many. They came to the 
forlorn agreement, therefore, to remain until famine sickness, 
and the poisoned arrows of the Indians should reduce their 
mimbertothe capacity of the brigantines. A brief space of 
time was sufficient for the purpose. They then prepared for 
the voyage Four mares, which had been kept ahve as ter- 
rors to the Indians, were killed and salted for sea-stores Then 
takinp- whatever other articles of provision remained, they em- 
bafked and made sail. One brigantine was commanded by 
Pizarro, the other by one Valenzuela. 

They had not proceeded far when, in a storm, a sea struck 
the crazy vessel of Valenzuela with such violence as to cause 
it to founder with all its crew. The other brigantme was so 
near that the mariners witnessed the struggles of their drown- 
ing companions and heard their cries. Some of the sailors 
^vith the common disposition to the marvellous, declared that 
they had beheld a great whale, or some other monster of the 
deep strike the vessel with its tail, and either stave m its sides 
or shatter the rudder, so as to cause the shipwreck * The sur- 
viving brigantine then made the best of its way to the harbour 
of Carthagena, to seek provisions. , ^ ,, -o , i u 

Such was the disastrous account rendered to the Bachelor by 
Pizarro of his destined jurisdiction. Enciso, however, was ot 
a confident mind and sanguine temperament, and trusted to 
restore all things to order and prosperity on his arrival. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CRUSADE OF THE BACHELOR ENCISO AGAINST THE SEPULCHRES 

OF ZENU. 

The Bachelor Enciso, as has been shown, was a man of the 
sword as well as of the robe; ha vine; doubtless imbibed a pas- 

* Herrera, Hist. lud. d. i. 1. vii. c, 10, 



86 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

Bion for military exploit from his intimacy with the discov- 
erers. Accordingly, while at Carthagena, he was visited by 
an impulse of the kind, and undertook an enterprise that 
would have been worthy of his friend Ojeda. He had been 
told by the Indians that about twenty-five leagues to the west 
lay a provmce called Zenu, the mountains of which abounded 
with the finest gold. This was washed down by torrents during 
the ramy season, in such quantities that the natives stretched 
nets across the rivers to catch the largest particles; some of 
which were said to be as large as eggs. 

^J^^ '1^^ ""^ ^^^"^^ ^"^^^ '"^ ^^*^ captivated the imagination of 
the Bachelor, and his cupidity was stHl more excited by further 
accounts of this wealthy province. He was told that Zenu was 
the general place of sepulture of the Indian tribes through- 
out the country, whither they brought their dead, and buried 
them, according to their custom, decorated with their most 
precious ornaments. 

It appeared to him a matter of course, therefore, that there 
must be an immense accumulation of riches in the Indian 
tombs, from the golden ornaments that had been buried with 
the dead through a long series of generations. Fired with the 
thought, he determined to make a foray into this province 
and to sack the sepulchres ! Neither did he feel any compunc- 
tion at the Idea of plundering the dead, considering the de- 
ceased as pagans and infidels, who had forfeited even the 
sanctuary of the grave, by having been buried according to 
the rites and ceremonies of their idolatrous; religion 

Enciso, accordingly, made sail from Carthagena and landed 
with his forces on the coast of Zeiiu. Here he was proniptiv 
opposed by two caciques, at the head of a large band of war- 
riors. The Bachelor, though he had thus put' on the soldier 
retained sufficient of the spirit of his former calling not to enter 
into quarrel without taking care to have the law on his side- 
he proceeded regularly, therefore, according to the legal form^ 
recently enjoined by the crown. He caused to be read and 
interpreted to the caciques the same formula used by Oieda 
expounding the nature of the Deity, the supremacy of the pope' 
and the right of the Catholic sovereigns to all these lands, by 
virtue of a grant from his holiness. The caciques listened to 
the whole very attentively and without interruption, accord- 
ing to the laws of Indian courtesy. They then replied that, as 
to the assertion that there was but one God, the sovereign of 
heaven and earth, it seemed to them good, and that such mus^ 



Tim VOYAOK OF DIKGO Jll? ^'/Cl/eSA. 8t 

be the case; but as to the doctrine that the pope was regent of 
the world in place of God, and that he had made a grant o£ 
their country to the Spanish king, they observed that the pope 
must have been drunk to give away what was not his, and the 
king must have been somewhat mad to ask at his hands what 
belonged to others. They added, that they were lords of those 
lands and needed no other sovereign, and if this king should 
come to take possession, they would cut off his head and put it 
on a pole; that being their mode of dealing with their enemies. 
- \s an illustration of this custom they pointed out to Enciso 
the very uncomfortalile spectacle of a row of grizzly heads im- 
naled in the neighbourhood. , 

Nothing daunted either by the reply or the illustration, the 
Bachelor menaced them with war and slavery as the conse- 
quences of their refusal to believe and submit. They replied 
by threatening to put his head upon a pole as a-representatiye 
of his sovereign. The Bachelor, having furnished them with 
the law, now proceeded to the commentary. He attacked the 
Indians, routed them, and took one of the caciques prisoner 
but in the skirmish two of his men were slightly wounded with 
poisoned arrows, and died raving with torment. ' 
^ It does not appear, however, that his <^™fde against tte se- 
pulchres was attended with any hicrative advantage^ Peihaps 
the experience he had received of the hostility of the natives 
and of the fatal effects of their poisoned arrows, prevented his 
nenetrating into the land with his scanty force. Certain it is 
^reputed wealth of Zenu, and the tale of its fishery tor gold 
with nets, remained unascertained and uncontradicted, and 
were the cause of subsequent and disastrous enterpnses. ihe 

Bachelor contented himself with his -i''t°'-y' ^" V^^^TIov- 
his ships, prepared to continue his voyage for the «eat of gov 
ei-nment er4ablished by 0.ieda m the Gulf of Uraba. 

. The .tb,.v. ancclote is related by the Bachelor Euciso himself in a geographical 
as reported by the ^^^^'^^'^^l^^J^^^^ erra^y que era^enor de todo que les 

pedia lo que era de otros," etc. 



fi8 f'PAm.m roTAGBs of jdiscoyebt. 



.CHAPTER IX. 

THE BACHELOR ARRIVES AT SAN SEBASTIAN-HIS DISA.STEES 
THERE, AND SUBSEQUENT EXPLOITS AT DAEIEN. 

It was not without extreme difficulty, and the peremptory 
exercise of his authority as Alcalde Mayor, that Enciso prj^ 
vailed upon the crew of Pizarro to return witii him to the fated 
shores of San Sebastian. He at length arrived in sigh o the 
ong-wished-for seat of his anticipated power and authoritv 
but here he was doomed like his principal, Ojeda to meet w h 
nothing but misfortune. On entering the harbour his v^sse 
struck on a rock on the eastern point. The rapid currents and 
tumultuous wa..es rent it to pieces; the crew escaned Ji^b 

gi-eatdifflculty to the brigantiniof Pizarro; rilleloTchees* 
and biscuit, and a smaU part of the arms were saved biftth^ 
hoi-ses, mares swme, and all other colonial supplies were swept 
away, and the unfortunate Bachelor beheld the pioceeTs of 
several years of prosperous litigation swallowed u^i, in ^ i° 

His dream of place and dignity seemed equaUy on the point 
of vanishing, for, on landing, he found the fm-tress and i?s 

tlSbyriXns'^^^^^ '' ™^"^' •^^^^-^ ^- ^---'^ 
For a few days the Spaniards maintained themselves with 
palm nuts, and with the flesh of a kind of wild swine, of wILh 
they met with several herds. Thesesupphes failing, theBlche 
lor sallied forth with a hundred men to forage fhe counW 
They were waylaid by three Indians, who discharged all the 
arrows in their qmvers with incredible rapidity, wounded 

« ^ThTs^ ""V'^"; ^'^r''''' -ifJnessVt defl d 
pmsuit. The Spaniards returned to the harbour in dismay 
All their dread of the lurking savages and their poisoned weal 

oiTf orSeT "' '""'*'' "P°" ^"""•^^'^''"^ ^ P'-« --'^"^ 
The Bachelor Enciso was himself disheartened at the situation 
of this boa-sted capital of San Sebastian ;-but whither couW he 
go where t^e same misfortunes might not attend him? In this 
moment of doubt and despondency, Vasco Nuiiez, the same 

cask, stepped forward to give counsel. He informed the 



THE VOTAGE OF DIEOO DE NIGUESA. 89 

Bachelor that several years previously he had sailed along that 
coast with Rodrigo de Bastides. They had explored the whole 
giilf Oi Uraba ; and he well remembered an Indian village situ- 
ated on the western side, on the banks of a river which the 
natives called Darien. The country around was fertile and 
abundant, and was said to possess mines of gold ; and the na- 
tives, though a warlike race, never made use of poisoned 
weapons. He offered to guide the Bachelor to this place, where 
they might get a supply of provisions, and even found their 
colony. 

The Spaniards hailed the words of Vasco Nunez as if reveal- 
ing a land of promise. The Bachelor a,dopted his advice, and, 
guided by him, set sail for the village, determined to eject the 
inhabitants and take possession of it as the seat of government. 
Arrived at the river, he landed, put his men in martial array, and 
marched along the banks. The place was governed by a brave 
cacique named Zemaco. When he heard of the approach of the 
Spaniards, he sent off the women and children to a place of 
safety, ajid posting himself with five hundred of his warriors on 
a height, prepared to give the intruders a warm reception. The 
Bachelor was a discoverer at all points, pious, daring, and 
rapacious. On beholding this martial array he recommended 
himself and his folloAvers to God, making a vow in their name 
to " Our Lady of Antigua," whose image is adored with great 
devotion in Seville, that the first church and town which they 
built should be dedicated to her, and that they Avould make a 
pilgrimage to Seville to offer the spoils of the heathen at her 
shrine. Having thus endeavoured to propitiate the favour of 
Heaven, and to retain the Holy Virgin in his cause, he next 
proceeded to secure the fidelity of his follower^. Doubting 
that they might have some lurking dread of poisoned arrows, 
he exacted from them all an oath that they would not turn 
their backs upon the foe, whatever might happen. Never did 
warrior enter into battle with more preliminary forms and 
covenants than the Bachelor Enciso. All these points being 
arranged, he assumed the soldier, and attacked the enemy with 
such valour, that though they made at first a show of fierce 
resistance, they were soon put to flight, and many of them 
slain. The Bachelor entered the village in triumph, took pos- 
session of it by unquestionable i-iglit of conquest, and plundered 
all the hamlets and houses of the surrounding country ; collect- 
ing great quantities of food and cotton, with bracelets, anklets, 
plates, and other ornaments of gold, to the value of ten thou- 



90 SPANliSH VOYAGES iji' DISCO VhJBT. 

sand castellanos.* His heart was wonderfully elated by his 
victory and his booty ; his followers, also, after so many hard- 
ships and disasters, gave themselves up to joy at this turn of 
good fortune, and it was unanimously agreed that the seat of 
government should be established in this village ; to which, in 
fulfilment of his vow, Enciso gave the name of Santa Maria' de 
la Antigua del Darien. 



CHAPTER X. 



THE BACHELOR ENCISO UNDERTAKES THE COMMAND— HIS DOWN- 
FALL. 

The Bachelor Enciso now entei'ed upon the exercise of his 
civil functions as Alcalde Mayor, and Lieutenant of the absent 
governor, Ojeda. His first edict was stern and peremptory; 
he forbade all trafiicking with the natives for gold, on private 
account, under pain of death. This was in conformity to royal 
command ; but it was little palatable to men who had engaged 
in the enterprise in the hopes of enjoying free trade, laAvless 
liberty, and golden gains. They murmured among themselves, 
and insinuated that Enciso intended to reserve all the profit 
to himself. 

Vasco Nuiiez was the first to take advantage of the general 
discontent. He had risen to consequence among his feUow- 
adventurers, from having guided them to this place, and from 
his own intrinsic quahties, being hardy, bold, and intelligent, 
and possessing the random spirit and open-handed generosity 
common to a soldier of fortune, and calculated to dazzle and 
delight the multitude. 

He bore no good will to the Bachelor, recollecting his threat 
^of landing him on an uninhabited island, when he escaped in 
a cask from San Domingo. He sought, therefore, to make a 
party against him, and to unseat him from his command. He 
attacked him in his own way, with legal weapons, questioning 
the legitimacy of his pretensions. The boundary Hne,'he ob- 
served, which separated the jurisdictions of Ojeda and Nicuesa, 
ran through the centre of the gulf of Uraba. The village of 
Darien lay on the wcsteiii ride, which had been allotted to 



* Equivalent to a preseut sum of 53.:?59 dollnrs 



THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE NIGUESA. 91 

Nicuc^a. Eiiciso, therefore, as Alcalde Mayor and Lieutenant 
of Ojeda, could have no jurisdiction here, and his assumed 
authority was a sheer usurpation. 

The Spaniards, already incensed at the fiscal regulations of 
Enciso, were easily convinced ; so with one accord they refused 
allegiance to him; and the unfortunate Bachelor found the 
chair of authority to which he had so fondly and anxiously 
aspired, suddenly wrested from under him, before he had well 
time to take his seat. 



CHAPTER XI. 

PERPLEXITIES AT THE COLONY — ARRIVAL OF COLMENARES. 

To depose the Bachelor had been an easy matter, for most 
men are ready to assist in pulling down ; but to choose a suc- 
cessor was a task of far more difficulty. The people at first 
agreed to elect mere civil magistrates, and accordingly 
appointed Vasco Nunez and one Zamudio as alcaldes, together 
with a cavalier of some merit of the name of Valdivia, as 
regidor. They soon, however, became dissatisfied with this 
arrangement, and it was generally considered advisable to vest 
the authority in one person. Who this person should be, w^as 
now the question. Some proposed Nicuesa, as they were 
within his province ; others were strenuous for Vasco Nufiez. 
A violent dispu^ ensued, which was carried on with such heat 
and obstinacy, that many, anxious for a quiet life, declared it 
would be better to reinstate Enciso until the pleasure of the 
king should be known. 

In the height of these factious altercations the Spaniards 
were aroused one day by the thundering of cannon from the 
opposite side of the gulf, and beheld columns of smoke rising 
from the hills. Astonished at these signals of civilized man on 
these wild shores, they replied in the same manner, and in a 
short time two ships were seen standing across the gulf. They 
proved to be an armament commanded by one Rodrigo de 
Colmenares, and were in search of- Nicuesa, with supplies. 
They had met with the usual luck of adventurers on this dis- 
astrous coast, storms at sea and savage foes on shore, and 
many of their number had fallen by poisoned arrows. Col- 
menares had touched at San Sebastian to learn tidings of 



9^ SPANISH VOTAOES OF DiSCOVEnT. 

Nicuesa; but, finding the fortress in ruins, had made sisals 
m hopes of being heard by the Spaniards, should they be yet 
hngenng m the neighbourhood. 

.Vl^ f^I^^.^'l Colmenares caused a temporary suspension 
of the feuds of the colonists. He distributed provisions among 
them and gamed their hearts. Then, representing the legiti- 
mate right of Nicuesa to the coimnand of all that part of the 
coast as a governor appointed by the king, he persuaded the 
greater part of the people to acknowledge his authority It 
was generaUy agreed, therefore, that he should cruise along 
the coast m search of Nicuesa, and that Diego de Albitez and 
an active member of the law, called the Bachelor Corral 
should accompany him as ambassadors, to invite that cavaher 
to come and assume the govermnent of Darien. 



CHAPTER Xn. 

COLMENARES GOES IN QUEST OF NICUESA. 

RoDRiGo DE Colmenares proceeded along the coast to the 
westward, looking into every bay and harbour, but for a Ion- 
time without success. At length one day he discovered a W- 
antmeatasmall island in the sea. On making up to it he 
found that It was part of the armament of Nicuesa, and had 
been sent out by him to forage for provisions. By this vessel 
he was piloted to the port of Nombre de Dios, L nomTna 
capital of the unfortunate governor, but which was so ur 
rounded and overshadowed by forests, that he might have 
passed by without noticing it. . 

The arrival of Colmenares was welcomed with transports 
and tears of joy It was scarcely possible for him to recognLe 
the once buoyant and briUiant Nicuesa in the squalid and de 

misetTf 'at^' ^'"- ^% ""^ ""^'^^ ^ '^' most abject 
misery. Of all his once gallant and powerful band of fol- 
lowers but sixty men remained, and those so feeble, yellow 
tTem!* ' ^^^-^^g^-^' ^h^t it was piteous to "behold 



intenor. They fou.d there the ruined fort of ^iou.ZZSZl'^l^Z'^l 



'THK VOYAGE OF DIEGO BE NICUESA. 93 

Colmenares distributed food among them, and told them 
that he had come to convey them to a plenteoiuj country, and 
one rich in gold. When Nicuesa heard of the settlement al 
Darien, and that the inhabitants had sent for him to come and 
govern them, he was as a man suddenly revived from death. 
All the spirit and munificence of the cavalier again awakened 
in him. He gave a kind of banquet that very day to Colme- 
nares and the ambassadors, from the provisions brought in the 
ship. He presided at his table with his former hilarity, and 
displayed a feat of his ancient office as royal carver, by hold- 
ing up a fowl in the air and dissecting it with wonderful 
adroitness. 

Well would it have been for Nicuesa haft the sudden buoy- 
ancy of his feelings carried him no further, but adversity had 
not taught him prudence. In conversing with the envoys 
about the colony of Darien, he already assumed the tone of 
governor, and began to disclose the kind of policy with which 
he intended to rule. When he heard that great quantities of 
gold had been collected and retained by private individuals, 
his ire was kindled. He vowed to make them refund it, and 
even talked of punishing them for trespassing upon the privi- 
leges and monopolies of the crown. This was the very error 
that had unseated the Bachelor Enciso from his government, 
and it was a strong measure for one to threaten who as yet was 
governor but in expectation. The menace was not lost upon 
the watchful ambassadors Diego de Albitez and the Bachelor 
Corral. They were put still more on the alert by a conversa- 
tion which they held that very evening with Lope de Olano, 
who was still detained a prisoner for his desertion, but who 
found means to commune with the envoys, and to prejudice 
them against his unsuspecting commander. "Take warning," 
said he, ' ' by my treatment. I sent relief to Nicuesa and 
rescued him from death when starving on a desert island. 
Behold my recompense. He repays me with imprisonment 
and chains. Such is the gratitude the people of Darien may 
look for at his hands !" 

The subtle Bachelor Corral and his 'fellow envoy laid these 
matters to heart, and took their measures accordingly. They 



bones, and crosses erected oft heaps of stones, dismal mementos of his followers 
who had perished of hunger; the sight of which struck such horror and dismay into 
the hearts of the soldiers that they would have abandoned their enterprise, had not 
their intrepid captain immediately sent away the ships, and thus deprived them or 
the means of retreating.— fZerrera, d. xi. 1, i. 



94 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

hurried their departure before Nicuesa, and setting all sail on 
their caravel, hastened back to Darien. The moment they 
arrived they sTinimoned a meeting of the principal inhabitants 
" A blessed change we have made," said they, "in summoning 
this Diego de Nicuesa to the command ! We have called in the 
stork to take the rule, who will not rest satisfied until he has 
devoured us." They then related, with the usual exaggeration 
the unguarded threats that had fallen from Nicuesa, and 
instanced his treatment of Olano as a proof of a tyrannous and 
' ungrateful disposition. 

The words of the subtle Bachelor Corral and his associate 
produced a violent agitation among the people, especially 
among those who had amassed treasures which would have to 
be refunded. Nicuesa, too, by a transaction which almost de- 
stroys sympathy in his favour, gave time for their passions to 
ferment. On his way to Darien he stopped for several days 
among a group of small islands, for the purpose of capturing 
Indians to be sold as slaves. While committing these outrages 
against humanity, he sent forward Juan de Cayzedo in a boat 
to announce his coming. His messenger had a private pique 
against him, and played him false. He assured the people of 
Darien that all they had been told by their envoys concerning 
the tyranny and ingratitude of Nicuesa was true. That he 
treated his followers with wanton severity ; that he took from 
them all they won in battle, saying, that the spoils were his 
rightful property; and that it was his intention to treat the 
people of Darien in the same manner. " What folly is it in 
you, "added he, "being your own masters, and in such free 
condition, to send for a tyrant to rule over you !" 

The people of Darien were convinced by this concurring tes- 
timony, and confounded by the overwhelming evil they had 
thus invoked upon their heads. They had deposed Enciso for 
his severity, and they had thrown themselves into the power 
of one who threatened to be ten times more severe ! Vasco 
Nunez de Balboa observed their perplexity and consternation. 
He drew them one by one apart, and conversed with them in 
private. ' ' You are cast' down in heart, " said he, ' ' and so you 
might well be, were the evil beyond all cure. But do not 
despair; there is an effectual relief, and you hold it in your 
hands. If you have committed an error in inviting Nicuesa to 
Darien, it is easily remedied by not receiving him when he 
comes !" The obviousness and simplicity of the remedy struck 
every mind, and it was unanimously adopted. 



THJ^ VOYAGE OF DlEGo BE IsICUElSA 95 

CHAPTER XIIL 

V 

CATASTROPHE OF THE UNFORTUNATE NICUESA. 

While this hostile plot was maturmg at Darien, the unsus- 
pecting Nicuesa pursued his voyage leisurely and serenely, and 
arrived in safety at the mouth of the river. On approaching 
the shore he beheld a multitude, headed by Vasco Nuilez, 
waiting, as he supposed to receive him with all due honour. 
He was about to land, when the public procurator, or attorney, 
called to him with a loud voice, warning him not to disembark, 
but advising him to return with all speed to his government at 
Nombre de Dios. 

iSicuesa remained for a moment as if thunder-struck by so 
unlooked-for a salutation. When he recovered his self-posses- 
sion he reminded them that he had come at their own request ; 
he entreated, therefore, that he might be allowed to land and 
have an explanation, after which he would be ready to act as 
they thought proper. His entreaties were vain: they only 
provoked insolent replies, and threats of violence should he 
venture to put foot on shore. Night coming on, therefore, he 
was obliged to stand out to sea, but returned the next morn- 
ing, hoping to find this capricious people in a different mood. 

There did, indeed, appear to be a favourfible change, for he 
was now invited to land. It was a mere stratagem to geC him 
in their power, for no sooner did he set foot on shore than the 
multitude rushed forward to seize him. Among his many 
bodily endowments, Nicuesa was noted for swiftness of foot. 
He now trusled to it for safety, and, throwing off the dignity 
of governor, fled for liis life along the shore, pursued by the 
rabble. He soon distanced his pursuers and took refuge in the 
woods. 

Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who was himself a man of birth, 
SGcing this high-bred cavalier reduced to such extremity, and 
at the mercy of a ^sdolent rabble, repented of Avhat he had done. 
He had not anticipated such popular fury, and endeavoured, 
though too late, to allay the tempest he had raised. He suc- 
ceeded in preventing the people fiom pursuing Nicuesa into the 
forest, and then endeavoured to mollify the vindictive i*age of 
his fellow Alcalde, Zamudio, whose hostility was quickened by 
the dread of losing his office, should the new governor be re- 
ceived ; and who was supported in his boisterous conduct by 



96 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

the natural love of the multitude for what are called " strong 
measures." Nicuesa now held a parley with the populace, 
through the mediation of Vasco Nuiiez. He begged that, if 
they would not acknowledge him as governor, they would at 
least admit him as a companion. This they refused, saying, 
that if they admitted him in one capacity, he would end by at- 
taining to the other. He then implored, that if he could be 
admitted on no other terms, they would treat him as a prisoner, 
and put him in irons, for hcAvould rather die among them than 
return to Nombre de Dios, to perish of famine, or by the arrows 
of the Indians. 

It was in vain that Vasco Nuiiez exerted his eloquence to 
obtain some grace for this unhappy cavalier. His voice was 
drowned by the vociferations of the multitude. Among these 
was a noisy swaggering fellow named Francisco Benitez, a 
great talker and jester, who took a vulgar triumph in the dis- 
tresses of a cavalier, and answered every plea in his behalf 
with scoffs and jeers. He was an adherent of the Alcalde Za- 
mudio, and under his patronage felt emboldened to bluster. 
His voice was even uppermost in the general clamour, until, to 
the expostulations of Vasco Nuiiez, he rephed by merely bawl- 
ing Avith great vociferation, ' ' No, no, no I — we will receive no 
such a fellow among us as Nicuesa !" The patience of Vasco 
Nuiiez was exhausted ; he availed hunself of his authority as 
Alcade, and suddenly, before his fellow magistrate could inter- 
fere, ordered the brawling ruffian to be rewarded with a hun- 
dred lashes, which were taled out roundly to him upon the 
shoulders.* 

Seeing that the fury of the populace was not to be pacified, 
he sent word to Nicuesa to retire to his brigantine, and not to 
venture on shore until advised by him to do so. The counsel 
was fruitless. Nicuesa, above deceit himself, suspected it not 
in others. He i-etired to his brigantine, it is true, but suffered 
himself to be inveigled on shore by a deputation professing to 
come on the part of the public, with offers to reinstate him as 
governor. He had scarcely landed when he was set upon by 
an armed band, headed by the base-minded Zamudio, who 
seized him and compelled him, by menaces of death, to swear 
that he would immediately depart, and make no delay in 
any place until he had presented himself before tlie king and 
council in Castile. 



has Casas, Hist. lud. 1. ii c. 68- 



THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO BE NICUESA. 97 

It was in vain that Nicuesa reixdnded them that he was gov- 
ernor of that territory and representative of the king, and 
that they were guilty of treason in thus opposing him ; it was 
in vain that he appealed to their humanity, or protested be- 
fore God againsl their cruelty and persecution. The people 
were in that state of tumult when they are apt to add cruelty 
to injustice. Not content with expelling the discarded gov- 
ernor from their shores, they allotted him the "worst vessel in 
the harbour ; an old crazy brigantine totally unfit to encoun- 
ter the perils and labours of the sea. 

Seventeen followers embarked with him ; some being of his 
household and attached to his person; the rest were volun- 
teers who accompanied him out of respect and sympathy. 
The frail bark set sail on the first of March, 1511, and steered 
across the Caribbean sea for the island of Hispaniola, but was 
never seen or heard of more ! 

Various attempts have been made to penetrate the mystery 
that covers the fate of the brigantine and its crew. A rumour 
prevailed some years afterwards that several Spaniards, wan- 
dering along the shore of Cuba, found the following inscription 
carved on a tree : 

Aqui fenecifi el desdicado Nicuesa. 
(Here perished the unfortunate Nicuesa.) 

Hence it was inferred that he and his followers had landed 
there, and been massacred by the Indians. Las Casas, how- 
ever, discredits this story. He accompanied the first Span- 
iards who took possession of Cuba, and heard nothing of the 
fact, as he most probably would have done had it really oc- 
curred. He imagines, rather, that the crazy bark was swal- 
lowed up by the storms and currents of the Caribbean sea, 
or that the crew perished with hunger and tiurst, having 
been but scantily supplied with provisions. The good old bishop 
adds, with the superstitious feeling prevalent in that age, that 
a short time before Nicuesa sailed from Spain on his expedi- 
tion, an astrologer warned him not to depart on the day he had 
appointed, or under a certam sign ; the cavalier replied, how- 
ever, that he had less confidence in the stars than in God who 
made them. "I recollect, moreover," adds Las Casas, "that 
about this time a comet was seen over this island of Hispaniola, 
which, if I do not forget, was in the shape of a sword ; and it 
was said that a monk warned several of those about to embark 



98 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

with Nicuesa., to avoid that captain, for the heavens foretold 
he was destined to be lost. The same, however, " he concludes, 
^' might be said of Alonzo de Ojeda, who sailed at the same 
time, yet returned to San Domingo and died in his bed." * 



* Las Casas, ut sup. c. 68. 



VA8C0 NUMeZ be BALBOA. 99 



VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA, 

DISCOV^ERER OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



CHAPTER I. 

FACTIONS AT DARIEN— VASCO NUNEZ ELECTED TO THE COMMAND. 

We have traced the disastrous fortunes of Alonzo de Ojeda 
and Diego de Nicuesa ; we have now to record the story of 
Vasco Nunez de Balboa, an adventurer equally daring, far 
more renowned, and not less unfortunate, who, in a manner, 
rose upon their ruins. 

When the bark disappeared from view which bore the iU- 
starred Nicuesa from the shores of Darien, the community 
relapsed into factions, as to who should have the rule. The 
Bachelor Enciso insisted upon his claims as paramount, but he 
met with a powerful opponent in Vasco Nunez, who had be- 
come a great favourite with the people, from his frank and 
fearless character, and his v/inning affability. In fact, he was 
peculiarly calculated to manage the fiery and factious, yet 
generous and susceptible nature of liis countrymen; for the 
Spaniards, though proud and resentful, and impatient of indig- 
nity or restraint, are easily dazzled by valour, and won by 
courtesy and kindness. Vasco Nuiiez had the external re- 
quisites also to captivate the multitude. He was now about 
thirty-five years of age ; tall, well formed, and vigorous, with 
reddish hair, and an open prepossessing countenance. His 
office of Alcalde, while it clothed him with influence and im- 
portance, tempered those irregular and dissolute habits he 
might have indulged while a mere soldier of fortune ; and his 
superior talent soon gave him a complete ascendancy over his 
official colleague Zamudio. He was thus enabled to set on foot 
a vigorous opposition to Enciso. Still he proceeded according 
to the forms of law, and summoned the Bt.chelor to trial, on 



100 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

the charge of usurping the powers of Alcalde Mayor, on the 
mere appointment of Alonzo de Ojeda, whose jurisdiction did 
not extend to this province. 

Enciso was an able lawyer, and pleaded his cause skilfully ; 
but his claims were, in fact, fallacious, and, had they not been 
so, he had to deal with men who cared little for law, who had 
been irritated by his legal exactions, and who were disposed to 
be governed by a man of the sword rather than of the robe. 
He was readily found guilty, therefore, and thrown into 
prison, and all his property was confiscated. This was a vio- 
lent verdict, and rashly executed ; but justice seemed to grow 
fierce and wild when transplanted to the wilderness of the new 
world. Still there is no place where wrong can be committed 
with impunity ; the oppression of the Bachelor Enciso, though 
exercised under the forms of law, and in a region remote from 
the pale of civilized life, redounded to the eventual injury of 
Vasco Nunez, and contributed to blast the fruits of that ambi- 
tion it was intended to promote. 

The fortunes of the enterprising Bachelor had indeed run 
strangely counter to the prospects with which he had embarked 
at San Domingo ; he had become a culprit at the bar instead of 
a judge upon the bench ; and now was left to ruminate in a 
prison on the failure of his late attempt at general command. 
His friends, however, interceded warmly iii his behalf, and at 
length obtained his release from confinement, and permission 
for him to return to Spain. Vasco ISluiiez foresaw that the 
lawyer would be apt to plead his cause more effectually at the 
court of Castile than he had done before the partial and pre- 
judiced tribunal of Darien. He prevailed upon his fellow 
Alcalde Zamudio, therefore, who was imphcated with him in 
the late transactions, to return to Spain in the same vessel 
with the Bachelor, so as to be on the spot to answer his 
charges, and to give a favourable report of the case. He was 
also instructed to set forth the services of Vasco Nunez, both 
in guiding the colonists to this place, ajid in managing the 
affairs of the settlement ; and to dwell with emphasis on the 
symptoms of great riches in the surrounding country. 

The Bachelor and the Alcalde embarked in a small caravel; 
and, as it was to touch at Hispaniola, Vasco Nunez sent his 
confidential friend, the Eegidor Valdivia, to that island to ob- 
tain provisions and recruits. He secretly put into his hands a 
round sum of gold as a present to Miguel de. Pasamonte, the 
royal treasurer of Hispaniola, whom he knew to have great 



VA8C0 NUMeZ DE BALBOA. 101 

credit with the king, and to be invested with extensive powers, 
craving at the same time his protection in the new world and 
his influence at court. 

Having taken these shrewd precautions, Vasco Nufiez saw 
the caravel depart without dismay, though bearing to Spain 
his most dangerous enemy; he consoled himself, moreover, 
with the reflection that it likewise bore off his fellow Alcalde, 
Zamudio, and thus left him in sole command of the colony. 



CHAPTEE II. 



EXPEDITION TO CO YB A— VASCO NUNEZ RECEIVES THE DAUGHTER 
OF A CACIQUE AS HOSTAGE. 

Vasco Nunez now exerted himself to prove his capacity for 
the government to which he had aspired; and as he knew that 
no proof was more convincing to King Ferdinand than ample 
remittances, and that gold covered all sins in the new world, 
his first object was to discover those parts of the country which 
most abounded in the precious metals. Hearing exaggerated 
reports of the riches of a province about thirty leagues distant, 
called Coyba, he sent Francisco Pizarro with six men to ex- 
plore it. 

The cacique Zemaco, the native lord of Darien, who cher- 
ished a bitter hostility against the European intruders, and 
hovered with his warriors about the settlement, received no- 
tice of this detachment, from hie spies, and planted himself in 
ambush to waylay and destroy it. Tlie Spaniards had scarcely 
proceeded three leagues along the course of the river when a 
host of savages burst upon them from the surrounding thick- 
ets, uttering frightful yells, and discharging showers of stones 
and arrows. Pizarro and his men, though sorely bruised and 
wounded, rushed into the thickest of the foe, slew many, 
wounded more, and put the rest to flight ; but, fearing another 
assault, they made a precipitate retreat, leaving one of their 
companions, Francisco Hernan, disabled on the field. They 
arrived at the settlement crippled and bleeding; but when 
Vasco Nuiiez heard the particulars of the action, his anger 
was roused against Pizarro, and he ordered him, though 
wounded, to return immediately and recover the disable(J 



102 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY, 

man. "Let it not be said, for shame," said he, "that Span- 
iards fled before savages, and left a comrade in their hands !" 
Pizarro felt the rebuke, returned to the scene of combat and 
brought off Francisco Hernan in safety. 

Nothing having been heard of Nicuesa since his departure, 
Vasco Nuiiez despatched two brigantines for those followers of 
that unfortunate adventurer who had remained at Nombre de 
Dios. They were overjoyed at being rescued from their for- 
lorn situation, and conveyed to a settlement where there was 
some prospect of comfortable subsistence. The brigantines, in 
coasting the shores of the Isthmus, picked up two Spaniards, 
clad in painted skins and looking as wild as the native In- 
dians. These men, to escape some punishment, had fled from 
the ship of Nicuesa about a year and a half before, and had 
taken refuge with Careta, the cacique of Coyba. The savage 
chieftain had treated them with hospitable kindness; their 
first return for wliich, now that they found themselves safe 
among their countrymen, was to advise the latter to invade 
the cacique in his dwelling, where they assured them they 
would find immense booty. Finding their suggestion listened 
to, one of them proceeded to Darien, to serve as a guide to any 
expedition that might be set on foot ; the other returned to the 
cacique, to assist in betraying him. 

Vasco Nuiiez was elated by the intelligence received through 
these vagabonds of the wflderness. He chose a hundred and 
thirty weU arined and resolute men, and set off for Coyba, the 
dominions of Careta. The cacique received the Spaniards in his 
mansion with the accustomed hospitality of a savage, setting 
before them meat and drink, and v/hatever his house afforded • 
butlwhen Vasco Nuiiez asked for a large supply of provisions 
for the colony, he declared that he had none to spare, his 
people having been prevented from cultivating the soil by a 
war which he was waging with the neighbouring cacique of 
Ponca. The Spanish traitor, who had remained to betray his 
benefactor, now took Vasco Nuiiez aside, and assured him that 
the cacique had an abundant hoard of provisions in secret ; he 
advised him, however, to seem to believe his words, and to 
make a pretended departure for Darien with his troops, but to 
return in the night and take the village by surprise. Vasco 
Nuiiez adopted the advice of the traitor. He took a cordial leave 
of Careta, and set off for the settlement. In the dead of the 
night, however, when the savages were buried in deep sleep, 
Vasco Nufiez led his men into the midst of the village, and, 



VASCO WU^EZ DE BALBOA. 103 

before the inhabitants could rouse themselves to resistance, 
made captives of Careta, his wives, and children, and many of 
his people. He discovered also the hoard of provisions, with 
which he loaded two brigantines, and returned with his booty 
and his captives to Darien. 

When the unfortunate cacique beheld his family in chains, 
and in the hands of strangers, his heart was wrung with 
despair; " What have I done to thee," said he to Vasco Nmiez, 
"that thou shouldst treat me thus cruelly? None of thy 
people ever came to my land that were not fed and sheltered 
and treated with loving-kindness. When thou camest to my 
dwelling, did I meet thee with a javehn in my hand? Did I 
not set meat and drink before thee and welcome thee as a 
brother? Set me free, therefore, Avith my family and people, 
and we will remain thy friends. We will supply thee with 
provisions, and reveal to thee the riches of the land. Dost thou 
doubt my faith? Behold my daughter, I give her to thee as a 
pledge of friendship. Take her for thy wife, and be assured of 
the fidelity of her family and her people !" 

Vasco Nuiiez felt the force of these words and knew the im- 
portance of forming a strong alliance among the natives. The 
captive maid, also, as she stood trembling and dejected before 
him, found great favour in his eyes, for she was young and 
beautiful. He granted, therefore, the prayer of the cacique, 
and accepted his daughter, engaging, moreover, to aid the 
father against his enemies, on condition of his furnishing pro- 
visions to the colony. 

Careta remained three days at Darien, during which time he 
was treated with the utmost kindness. Vasco Nuiiez took him 
on board of his ships and showed him every part of them. He 
displayed before him also the war-horses, with their armour 
and rich caparisons, and astonished him with the thunder of 
artillery. Lest he should be too much daunted by these war- 
like spectacles, he caused the musicians to perform a harmoni- 
ous concert on their instruments, at which the cacique was lost 
in admiration. Thus having impressed him with a wonderful 
idea of the power and endowments of his new alhes, he loaded 
him with presents and permitted liim to depart.* 

Careta returned joyfully to his territories, and his daughter 
remained with Vasco Nuiiez, willingly, for his sake, giving up 
her family and native home. They were never married, but 

* p. Martyr, D. 3, c. vi. 



104 SPANISH VOYAGES OF D ISO OVERT. 

she considered herself his wife, as she really was, according to 
the usages of her own country, and he treated her with fond- 
ness, allowing her gradually to acquire great influence over 
him. To his affection for this damsel his ultimate ruin is in 
some measure to be ascribed. 



CHAPTER III. 

VASCO NUNEZ HEARS OF A SEA BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS. 

Vasco Nunez kept his word with the father of his Indian 
beauty. Taking with hun eighty men and his companion-in- 
arms, Rodrigo Enriquez de Colmenares, he repaired by sea to 
Coyba, the province of the cacique. Here landing, he invaded 
the territories of Ponca, the great adversary of Careta, and 
obliged him to take refuge in the mountains. He then ravaged 
his lands and sacked his villages, in which he found consider- 
able booty. Returning to Coyba, where he was joyfully enter- 
tained by Careta, he next made a friendly visit to the adjacent 
province of Comagre, which was under the sway of a cacique 
of the same name, who had 3,000 fighting men at his command. 

This province was situated at the foot of a lofty mountain in 
a beautiful plain twelve leagues in extent. On the approach of 
Vasco Nuiiez, the cacique came forth to meet him attended by 
seven sons, all fine young men, the offspring of his various 
wives. He was followed by his principal chiefs and warriors, 
and by a multitude of his people. The Spaniards were con- 
ducted with great ceremony to the village, where quarters were 
assigned them, and they were furnished with abundance of 
provisions, and men and women were appointed to attend upon 
them. 

The dwelling of the cacique surpassed any they had yet seen 
for magnitude and for the skill and solidity of the architecture. 
It was one hundred and fifty paces in length, and eighty in 
breadth, founded upon gi-eat logs surrounded with a stone 
wall ; while the upper part was of wood- work, curiously inter- 
woven and wrought with such beauty, as to fill the Spaniards 
with surprise and admiration. It contained many commodious •> 
apartments. There were store-rooms also; one filled with 
bread, with venison, and other provisions; another with 
various spirituous beverages which the Indians made from 



VASCO NUS-EZ DE BALBOA. lo5 

maize, from a species of the palm, and from roots of different 
kinds. There was also a great hall in a retired and secret part 
of the building, wherein Comagre preserved the bodies of his 
ancestors and relatives. These had been dried by the fire, so as 
to free them from corruption, and afterwards wrapped in man- 
tles of cotton richly wrought and interwoven with pearls and 
jewels of gold, and with certain stones held precious by the 
natives. They were then hung about the hall with cords of 
cotton, and regarded with great reverence, if not a species of 
rehgious devotion. 

Among the sons of the cacique, the eldest was of a lofty and 
generous spii'it, and distinguished above the rest by liis supe- 
rior intelhgence and sagacity. Perceiving, says old Peter 
Martyr, that the Spaniards were a "wandering kind of men, 
living only by shifts and spoil, " he sought to gain favour for 
himself and family by gratifying their avarice. He gave 
Vasco Nufiez and Colmenares, therefore, 4,000 ounces of gold, 
wrought into various ornaments, together with sixty slaves, 
being captives that he had taken in the wars. Vasco Nuiiez 
ordered one-fifth of the gold to be weighed out and set apart 
for the crown, and the rest to be shared among his fol- 
lowers. 

The division of the gold took place in the porch of the dwell- 
ing of Comagre, in the presence of the youthful cacique who 
had made the gift. As the Spaniards were weighing it out, a 
violent quarrel arose among them as to the size and value of 
the pieces which fell to their respective shares. The high- ■■ 
minded savage was disgusted at this sordid brawl among 
beings whom he had regarded with such reverence. In the 
first impulse of his disdain, he struck the scales with his fist 
and scattered the glittering gold about the porch. Before the 
Spaniards could recover from their astonishment at tliis sud- 
den act, he thus addressed them, "Why should you quarrel 
for such a trifle? If this gold is indeed so precious in your 
eyes that for it alone you abandon your homes, invade the 
peaceful land of others, and expose yourselves to such suffer- 
ings and perils, I will tell you of a region where you may 
gratify your wishes to the utmost. Behold those lofty moun- 
tains," continued he, pointing to the south. "Beyond these 
lies a mighty sea, which may be diseerned from their summit. 
It is navigated by people who have vessels almost as large as 
yours, and furnished, like them, with sails and oars. All the 
streams which flow down the southern side of those mountains 



l06 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VERt 

into that sea abound in gold, and the kings who reign upon its 
borders eat and drink out of golden vessels. Gold, in fact, is 
as plentiful and common among those people of the south as 
iron is among you Spaniards." 

Struck with this intelligence, Yasco Nufiez inquired eagerly 
as to the means of penetrating to this sea and to the opulent 
regions on its shores. "The task," replied the prince, "is 
difficult and dangerous. You must pass through the territo- 
ries of many powerful caciques, who will oppose you with hosts 
of warriors. Some parts of the mountains are infested by 
fierce and cruel cannibals— a wandering, lawless race; but, 
above all, you will have to encounter the great cacique, Tuba- 
nama, whose territories are at the distance of six days' jour- 
ney, and more rich in gold than any other provmce; this 
cacique will be sure toxome forth against you with a mighty 
force. To accomplish your enterprise, therefore, will require 
at least a thousand men armed hke those who follow you." 

The youthful cacique gave him further information on the 
subject, collected from various captives whom he had taken in 
battle, and from one of his own nation, who had been for a 
long time in captivity to Tubanama, the powerful cacique of 
the golden realm. The prince, moreover, offered to prove the 
sincerity of his words by accompanying Vasco Nunez in any 
expedition to those parts at the head of his father's warriors. 

Such was the first intimation received by Vasco Nunez of the 
Pacific Ocean and. its golden realms, and it had an immediate 
effect upon his whole character and conduct. This hitherto 
wandering and desperate man had now an enterprise opened 
to his ambition, which, if accomplished, would elevate him to 
fame and fortune, and entitle him to rank among the great 
captains and discoverers of the earth. Henceforth the discov- 
ery of the sea beyond the mountains was the great object of 
his thoughts, and his whole spirit seemed roused and ennobled 
by the idea. 

He hastened his return to Darien, to niake the necessary 
preparations for this splendid enterprise. Before departing 
from the province of Comagre he baptized that cacique by the 
name of Don Carlos, and performed the same ceremony upon 
his sons and several of his subjects ; — thus singularly did ava- 
rice and religion go hand in hand in the conduct of the Spanish 
discoverers. 

Scarcely had Vasco Nunez returned to Darien when the 
Hegidor Valdivia arrived there from Hispaniola, but with no 



VA8C0 NU:^EZ BE BALBOA. 107 

more provisions than could be brought in his small caravel. 
These were soon consumed, and the general scarcity continued. 
It was heightened also by a violent tempest of thunder, light- 
ning, and rain, which brought such torrents from the moun- 
tains that the river swelled and overflowed its banks, laying 
waste all the adjacent fields that had been cultivated. In this 
extremity Vasco Nunez despatched Valdivia a second time to 
Hispaniola for provisions. Animated also by the loftier views 
of his present ambition, he wrote to Don Diego Columbus, who 
governed at San Domingo, informing him of the intelligence 
he had received of a great sea and opulent realms beyond the 
mountains, and entreating hun to use his influence with the 
king that one thousand men might be immediately furnished 
him for the prosecution of so grand a discovery. He sent him 
also- the amount of fifteen thousand crowns in gold, to be re- 
mitted to the king as the royal fifths of what had already been 
collected under his jurisdiction. Many of his followers, also, 
forwarded sums of gold to be remitted to their creditors in 
Spain. In the mean time, Vasco Nunez prayed the admiral to 
yield him prompt succour to enable him to keep his footing in 
the land, representing the difficulty he had in maintaining, 
with a mere handful of men, so vast a country in a state of 
subjection. 



CHAPTER IV. 



EXPEDITION OF VASCO NUNEZ IN QUEST OF THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 
OF DOBAYBA.— (1512.) 

While Vasco Nunez awaited the result of this mission of 
Valdivia, his active disposition prompted liim to undertake 
foraging excursions into the surrounding country. 

Among various rumours of golden realms in the interior of 
this unknown land, was one concerning a province called Do- 
bayba, situated about forty leagues distant, on the banks of a 
great river which emptied itself, by several mouths, into a 
corner of the Gulf of Uraba. 

This province derived its name, according to Indian tradi- 
tion^ from a mighty female of the olden time, the mother of 
the god who created the sun and moon and all good things. 
She had power over the elements, sending thunder and light- 



108 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VERr. 

ning to lay waste the lands of those who displeased her, but 
showering down fertility and abundance upon the lands of her 
faithful worshippers. Others described her as having been an 
Indian princess who once reigned amongst the mountains of 
Dobayba, and was renowned throughout the land for her 
supernatural power and wisdom. After her death, divine 
honours were paid her, and a great temple was erected for her *■ 
worship. Hither the natives repaired from far and near, on a 
kind of pilgrimage, bearing offerings of their most valuable 
effects. The caciques who ruled over distant territories, also 
sent golden tributes, at certain times of the year, to be de- 
posited in this temple, and slaves to be sacrificed at its shrine. 
At one time, it was added, this worship fell into disuse, the 
pilgrimages were discontinued,- and the caciques neglected to 
send their tributes ; whereupon the deity, as a punishment, in- 
flicted a drought upon the country. The springs and fountains 
failed, the rivers' were dried up; the inhabitants of the moun- 
tains were obhged to descend into the plains, where they digged 
pits and wells, but these likewise failing, a great part of the 
nations perished with thirst. The remainder hastened to pro- 
pitiate the deity by tributes and sacrifices, and thus succeeded 
in averting her displeasure. In consequence of offerings of 
the kind, made for generations from all parts of the country, 
the temple was said to be filled with treasure, and its walls to 
be covered with golden gifts.* In addition to the tale of this 
temple, the Indians gave marvellous accounts of the general 
wealth of this province, declaring that it abounded with mines 
of gold, the veins of which reached from the dwelhng of the 
cacique to the borders of his dominions. 

To penetrate to this territory, and above all to secure the 
treasures of the golden temple, was an enterprise suited to the 
adventurous spirit of the Spaniards. Vasco Nuiiez chose one 
hundred and seventy of his hardiest men for the purpose. 
Embarking them in two brigantines and a number of canoes, 
he set sail from Darien, and, after standing about nine leagues 
to the east, came to the mouth of the Eio Grande de San Juan, 
or the Great River of St. John, also called the Atrato, which is 
since ascertained to be one of the branches of the river Darien. 
Here he detached Eodrigo Enriquez de Colmenares with one^ 
third of his forces to explore the stream, while he himself pro- 
ceeded with the residue to another branch of the river, which 



p. Martyr, decad. 3, c. vi. Idem. d. 7, c. x. 



VASCO NUNEZ BE BALBOA. 109 

he was told flowed from the province of Dobayba, and which 
he ascended, flushed with sanguine expectations.* 

His old enemy, Zemaco, the cacique of Darien, however, had 
discovered the object of his expedition, and had taken measures 
to disappoint it : repairing to the province of Dobayba, he had 
prevailed upon its cacique to retire at the approach of the 
Spaniards, leaving his country deserted. 

Vasco Nunez found a village situated in a marshy neighbour- 
hood, on the banks of the river, and mistook it for the residence 
of the cacique : it was silent and abandoned. There was not an 
Indian to be met with from whom he could obtain any infor- 
mation about the country, or who could guide him to the golden 
temple. He was disappointed, also, in Ms hopes of obtaining a 
supply of provisions, but he found weapons of various kinds 
hanging in the deserted houses, and gathered jewels and pieces 
of gold to the value of seven thousand castellanos. Discour- 
aged by the savage look of the surrounding wilderness, which 
was perplexed by deep morasses, and having no guides to aid 
him in exploring it, he put all the booty he had collected into 
two large canoes, and made his way back to the Gulf of Uraba. 
Here he was assailed by a violent tempest, which nearly 
wrecked his two brigantines, and obliged him to throw a great 
part of their cargoes overboard. The two canoes 'containing 
the booty were swallowed up by the raging sea, and all their 
crews perished. 

Thus bafiied and tempest-tost, Vasco Nunez at length suc- 
ceeded in getting into what was termed c' .e Grand River, 
which he ascended, and rejoined Cohnenares and his detach- 
ment. They now extended their excursions up a stream which 
emptied into the Grand River, and wliich, irom the dark hue 
of its waters, they called Rio Negro, or the i^lack River. They 
also explored certain other tributary streams branching from 
it, though not without occasional skirmishes with the natives. 



* In recording this expedition, the author has followed the old Spanish narratives, 
written when the face of the country was but little known, and he was much per- 
plexed to reconcile the accounts given of numerous streams with the rivers laid 
dowu on modern maps. By a clear and judicious explanation, given in the recent 
work of Don Manuel Josef Quintana, it appears that the different streams explored 
by Vasco Nunez and Colmenares were all branches of one grand river, which, de- 
scending from the mountains of the interior, winds about in crystal streams among 
the plams and morasses bordering the bottom of the ^roat t,ulf of Darien, and dis- 
charges itself by various mouths into the gulf. In fact, the stream which ran by 
the infant city of Santa Maria de la Antigua was but one of its branches, a fact en- 
tirely unknown to Vasco Nuilez and his companions. 



110 SPAmSE VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

Ascending one of these minor rivers with a part of his men, 
Vasco Nunez came to the territories of a cacique named Abi- 
beyba, who reigned over a region of marshes and shallow lakes. 
The habitations of the natives were built amidst the branches 
of immense and lofty trees. They were large enough to con- 
tain whole family connexions, and were constructed partly of 
wood, partly of a kind of wicker work, combining strength and 
pliability, and yielding uninjured to the motion of the branches 
when agitated by the wmd. The inhabitants ascended to 
them with great agility by light ladders, formed of great reeds 
split through the middle, for the reeds on this coast grow to 
the thickness of a man's body. These ladders they drew up 
after them at night, or in case of attack. These habitations 
were well stocked with provisions ; but the fermented bever- 
ages, of which these people had always a supply, were buried 
in vessels in the earth at the foot of the tree, lest they should 
be rendered turbid by the rocking of the houses. Close by, 
also, were the canoes with which they navigated the rivers and 
ponds of their marshy country and followed their main occu- 
pation of fishing. 

On the approach of the Spaniards, the Indians took refuge in 
their tree-built castles and drew up the ladders. The former 
called upon them to descend and to fear nothing. Upon this 
the cacique replied, entreating that he might not be molested, 
seeing he had done them no injury. They threatened, unless 
he came down, to fell the trees or to set fire to them, and burn 
him and his wives and children. The cacique was disposed to 
consent, but was prevented by the entreaties of his people. 
Upon this the Spaniards prepared to hew down the trees, but 
were assailed by showers of stones. They covered themselves, 
however, with their bucklers, assailed the trees vigorously 
with their hatchets, and soon compelled the inhabitants to ca- 
pitulate. The cacique descended with his wife and two of his 
children. The first demand of the Spaniards was for gold. 
He assured them he had none ; for, having no need of it, he had 
never made it an object of his search. Being importuned, 
however, he assured them that if he were permitted to repair 
to certain mountains at a distance, he would in a few days re- 
turn and bring them what they desired. They permitted him 
to depart, retaining his wife and children as hostages, but they 
saw no more of the cacique. After remaining here a few days 
and regaling on the provisions which they found in abundance, 
they continued their foraging expeditions, often opposed by 



VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. HI 

the bold and warlike natives, and suffering occasional loss, but 
inflicting great havoc on their opposers. 

Having thus overrun a considerable extent of country, and 
no grand object presenting to lure him on to further enterprise, 
Vasco Nunez at length returned to Darien with the spoils and 
captives he had taken, leaving Bartolome Hurtado with thirty- 
men in an Indian village on the Rio Negro, or Black River, to 
hold the country in subjection. Thus terminated the first expe- 
dition in quest of the golden temple Dobayba, which for some 
time continued to be a favourite object of enterprise among the 
adventurers of Darien. 



CHAPTER V. 

DISASTER ON THE BLACK RIVER— INDIAN PLOT AGAINST DARIEN. 

Bartolome Hurtado being left to his own discretion on the 
banks of the Black River, occupied himself occasionally in 
hunting the scattered natives who straggled about the sur- 
rounding forests. Having in this way picked up twenty-four 
captives, he put them on board of a large canoe, Hke so much 
live stock, to be transported to Darien and sold as slaves. 
Twenty of his followers who were infirm, either from wounds 
or the diseases of the climate, embarked also in the canoe, so 
that only ten men remained with Hurtado. 

The great canoo, thus heavily freighted, descended the 
Black River slowly, between banks overhung with forests. 
Zemaco the indefatigable cacique of Darien, was on the watch, 
and waylaid the ark with four canoes fiUed with warriors 
armed with war clubs, and lances hardened in the fire. The 
Spaniards being sick, could make but feeble resistance ; some 
were massacred, others leaped into the river and were 
drowned. Two only escaped, by chnging to two trunks of 
trees that were floating down the river and covering them- 
selves with the branches. Reaching the shore in safety, they 
returned to Bartolome Hurtado with the tragical tidings of the 
death of his followers. Hurtado was so disheartened by the 
news f^nd so dismayed at his own helpless situation, m the 
midst of a hostile country, that he resolved to abandon the 
fatal shores of the Black River and return to Darien. He was 
quickened in this resolution by receiving intimation of a con- 



112 SPANISE VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

spiracy forming among the natives. The implacable Zemaco 
had drawn four other caciques into a secret plan to assemble 
their vassals and make a sudden attack upon Darien. Hurtado 
hastened with the remnant of his followers to carry tidings to 
the settlement of this conspiracy. Many of the inhabitants 
were alarmed at his intelligence ; others treated it as a false 
rumour of the Indians, and no preparations were made against 
what might be a mere imagmary danger. 

Fortunately for the Spaniards, among the female captives 
owned by Vasco Nunez was an Indian damsel named Fulvia, 
to whom, in consequence of her beauty, he had shown great 
favour, and who had become strongly attached to him. She 
had a brother among the warriors of Zemaco, who often visited 
her in secret. In one of his visits he informed her that on a 
certain night the settlement would be attacked and every 
Spaniard destroyed. He charged her, therefore, to hide her- 
self that night in a certain place until he should come to her 
aid, lest she should be slain in the confusion of the massacre. 

When her brother was gone a violent struggle took place in 
the bosom of the Indian girl, between her feeling for her 
family and her people and her affection for Vasco Nunez. The 
latter at length prevailed, and she revealed all that had been 
told to her. Vasco Nunez prevailed upon her to send for her 
brother under pretence of aiding her to escape. Having him 
in his power, he extorted from him all that he knew uf tne de- 
signs of the enemy. His confessions showed what imminent 
danger had been lurking round Vasco Nunez in his most un- 
suspecting moments. The prisoner informed him that he Jiad 
been one of forty Indians sent some time before by che cacique 
Zemaco to Vasco Nunez, in seeming friendship, co be employed 
by hun in cultivating the fields adjacent to the jettlement. 
They had secret orders, however, to take an opportunity when 
Vasco Nuiiez should come forth to inspect their work, to ,iet 
upon him in an unguarded moment and destroy him. For- 
tunately, Vasco Nuiiez always visited the fields mounted )n 
his war horse and armed with lance and target. The Indians 
were therefore so awed by his martial appearance, and by the 
terrible animal he bestrode, that they dared not attack him. 

Foiled in this and other attempts of the kind, Zemaco re- 
sorted to the conspiracy with the neighbouring caciques with 
which the settlement was menaced. 

Five caciques had joined in the confederacy; they had 
prepared a hundred canoes, had amassed provisions for an 



VASCO NVMZ DE BALBOA. 113 

army, and had concerted to assemble five thousand picked 
warriors at a certain time and place ; with these they Were to 
make an attack on the settlement by land and water in the 
middle of the night and to slaughter every Spaniard. 

Having learnt where the confederate chiefs were to be found, 
and where they had deposited their provisions, Vasco Nuiiez 
chose seventy of his best men, well-armed, and made a circuit 
by land, while Colmenares, with sixty men, salhed forth 
secretly in four canoes guided by the Indian prisoner. In this 
way they surprised the general of the Indian army and several 
of the principal confederates, and got possession of ^aU their 
provisions, though they failed to capture the formidable Ze- 
maco. The Indian general was shot to death with arrows, and 
the leaders of the conspiracy were hanged in presence of their 
captive followers. The defeat of this deep-laid plan and the 
punishment of its devisers, spread terror throughout the neigh- 
bouring provinces and prevented any further attempt at hos- 
tilitiorj. Vasco Nunez, however, caused a strong fortress of 
wood to be immediately erected to guard against any future 
assaults of the savages. 



CHAPTER VI. 



FURTHER FACTIONS IN Ti . COLONY— ARROGANCE OF AI.ONZO 
PERl^Z AND THE BACHELOR CORRAL. — (1512.) 

A coNSiDERAbi^i:^ time had now elapsed since the departure of 
Valdivia for Hispaiiiola, yet no tidings had been received from 
him. Many began to fear that some disaster had befallen him ; 
while others insinuated that it was possible both he and Za- 
mudio might have neglected the objects of their mission, and, 
having appropriated to their own use the gold with which they 
had been entrusted, might have abandoned the colony to its 
fate. 

Vasco Nunez himself was harassed by these surmises, and 
by the dread lest the Bachelor Enciso should succeed in preju- 
dicing the mind of his sovereign against him. Impatient of 
this state of anxious suspense, he determined to repair to 
Spain to communicate in person all that he had heard concern- 
ing the Southern Sea, and to ask for the troops necessary for 
its discovery. 



114 8PAms:d: votaoes of disco vemt. 

' Every one, however, both friend and foe, exclaimed against 
such a measure, representing his presence as indispensable to 
the safety of the colony, from his great talents as a conomander 
and the fear entertained of him by the Indians. 

After much debate and contention, it was at length agreed 
that Juan de Cayzedo and Rodrigo Enriquez de Colmenares 
should go in his place, instructed to make all necessary repre- 
sentations to the king. Letters were written also containing 
the most extravagant accounts of the riches of the country, 
partly dictated by the sanguine hopes of the writers, and 
partly by the fables of the natives. The rumoured wealth of 
the province ofDobayba and the treasures of its golden temple 
were not forgotten ; and an Indian was taken to Spain by the 
commissioners, a native of the province of Zenu, where gold 
was said to be gathered in nets stretched across the mountain 
streams. To give more weight to all these stories, every one 
contributed some portion of gold from his private hoard to be 
presented to -the king in addition to the amount arising from 
his fifths. 

But little time elapsed after the departure of the commis- 
sioners when new dissensions broke out in the colony. It was 
hardly to be expected that a fortuitous assemblage of adven- 
turers could remain long tranquil during a time of suffering 
under rulers of questionable authority. Vasco Nunez, it is 
true, had risen by his courage and abihties ; but he had risen 
from among theiroranks; he was, in a manner, of their own 
creation ; and they had not become sufficiently accustomed to 
him as a governor to forget that he was ret;ently but a mere 
soldier of fortune and an absconding debtor. 

Their factious discontent, however, was directed at first 
against a favourite of Vasco Nuiiez, rather than against him- 
self. He had invested Bartolome Hurtado, the commander of 
the Black Eiver, with considerable authority in the colony, 
and the latter gave great offence by his oppressive conduct. 
Hurtado had particularly aggrieved by his arrogance one 
Alonzo Perez de la Rua, a touchy cavaher, jealous of his 
honour, who seems to have peculiarly possessed the sensitive 
punctilio of a Spaniard. Firing at some indignity, whether 
real or fancied, Alonzo Perez threw himself into the ranks of 
the disaffected, and was immediately chosen as their leader. 
Thus backed by a faction, he clamoured loudly for the punish- 
ment of Hurtado; and, finding his demands unattended to, 
threw out threats of deposing Vasco Nunez. The latter no 



VASOO NV^EZ BE BALBOA. 115 

sooner heard of these menaces, than, with his usual spirit and 
promptness, he seized upon the testy Alonzo Perez and threw 
hftn in prison to digest liis indignities and cool his passions at 
leisure. 

The conspirators flew to arms to hberate their leader. The 
friends of Vasco Nuiiez were equally on the alert. The two 
parties drew out in battle array in the public square, and a 
sanguinary conflict was on the point of taking place. Fortu- 
nately there were some cool heads left in the colony. These 
interfered at the critical moment, representing to the angry 
adversaries that if they fought among themselves, and dimin- 
ished their already scanty numbers, even the conquerors must 
eventually fall a prey to the Indians. 

Their remonstrances had effect. A parley ensued, and, after 
much noisy debate, a kind of compromise was made. Alonzo 
Perez was liberated, and the mutineers dispersed quietly to 
their homes. The next day, however, they were again in 
arms, and seized upon Bartolome Hurtado; but after a little 
while were prevailed upon to set him free. Their factious 
views seemed turned to a higher object. They broke forth 
into loud murmurs against Vasco Nunez, complaining that he 
had not made a fair division of the gold and slaves taken in 
the late expeditions, and threatening to arrest him and bring 
him to account. Above all, they clamoured for an immediate 
distribution of ten thousand castellanos in gold, which yet re- 
mained unshared. 

Vasco Nuiiez understood too well the riotous nature of the 
people under him, and his own precarious hold on their obe- 
dience, to attempt to cope with them in this moment of turbu- 
lence. He shrewdly determined, therefore, to withdraw from 
the sight of the multitude, and to leave them to divide the 
spoil among themselves, trusting to their own strife for his 
security. That very night he sallied forth into the country, 
under pretence of going on a hunting expedition. 

The next morning the mutineers found themselves in pos- 
session of the field. Alonzo Perez, the pragmatical ringleader, 
immediately assumed the command, seconded by the Bachelor 
Corral. Their first measure was to seize upon the ten thou- 
sand castellanos, and to divide them among the multitude, by 
way of securing their own popularity. The event proved the 
sagacity and forethought of Vasco Nunez. Scarcely had these 
hot-headed intermeddlers entered upon the partition of the 
gold, than a furious strife arose. Every one was dissatisfied 



116 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

with his share, considering his merits entitled to pecuhar rec- 
ompense. Every attempt to appease the rabble only aug- 
mented their violence, and in their rage they swore that Vasco 
Nunez Iftid always shown more judgment and discrimination 
in his distributions to men of merit. 

The adherents of the latter now ventured to lift up their 
voices; "Vasco NufLez," said they, "won the gold by his en- 
terprise and valour, and would have shared it with the brave 
and the deserving ; but these men have seized upon it by fac- 
tious means, and would squander it upon their minions." The 
multitude, who, in fact, admired the soldier-like qualities of 
Vasco Nunez, displayed one of the customary rev^erses of pop- 
ular feeling. The touchy Alonzo Perez, his coadjutor the 
Bachelor Corral, and several other of the ringleaders were 
seized, thrown in irons, and confined in the fortress; and 
Vasco Nunez was recalled with loud acclamations to the settle- 
ment. 

How long this pseudo commander might have been able to 
manage the unsteady populace it is impossible to say, but just 
at this juncture two ships arrived from Hispaniola, freighted 
with supplies, and bringing a reinforcement of one hundred 
and fifty men. They brought also a commission to Vasco 
Nunez, signed by Miguel de Pasamonte, the royal treasurer of 
Hispaniola, to whom he had sent a private present of gold, 
constituting him captain-general of the colony. It is doubtful 
whether Pasamonte possessed the poAver to confer such a com- 
mission, though it is afiirmed that the king had clothed hun 
with it, as a kind of check upon the authority of the admiral 
Don Diego Columbus, then Governor of Hispaniola, of whose 
extensive sway in the new world the monarch was secretly 
jealous. At any rate the treasurer appears to have acted in 
fuU confidence of the ultimate approbation of his sovereign. 

Vasco Nuiiez was rejoiced at receiving a commission which 
clothed him with at least the semblance of royal sanction. 
Feehng more assured in his situation, and being naturally of a 
generous and forgiving temper, he was easily prevailed upon, 
in his moment of exultation, to release and pardon Alonzo 
Perez, the Bachelor Corral, and the other ringleaders of the 
late commotions, and for a time the feuds and factions of this 
petty community were lulled to repose. 



VASCO NU^EZ DE BALBOA. 117 



CHAPTER VII. 

VASCO NUNEZ DETERMINES TO SEEK THE SEA BEYOND THE 
MOUNTAINS. — (1513.) 

The temporary triumph of Vasco Nunez was soon overcast 
by tidings received from Spain. His late colleague, the Alcalde 
Zamudio, wrote him word that the Bachelor Enciso had car- 
ried his complaints to the foot of the throne, and succeeded in 
rousing the indignation of the king, and had obtained a sen- 
tence in his favour, condemning Vasco Nunez in costs and 
damages. Zamudio mf ormed him in addition, that he would 
be immediately summoned to repair to Spain, and answer in 
person the criminal charges advanced against him on account 
of the harsh treatment and probable death of the unfortunate 
Nicuesa. 

Vasco Nunez was at first stunned by this intelligence, which 
seemed at one blow to annihilate aU his hopes and fortunes. 
He was a man, however, of prompt decision and intrepid 
spirit. The information received from Spain was private and 
informal, no order had yet arrived from the king, he was still 
master of his actions, and had control over the colony. One 
brilliant achievement might atone for aU the past, and fix him 
in the favour of the monarch. Such an achievement was 
within his reach— the discovery of the southern sea. It is true, 
a thousand soldiers had been required for the expedition, but 
vf ere he to wait for their arrival from Spain, his day of grace 
would be past. It was a desperate thing to undertake the task 
with the handful of men at his command, but the circum- 
stances of the case were desperate. Fame, fortune, life itself, 
depended upon the successful and the prompt execution of the 
enterprise. To linger was to be lost. 

Vasco Nuiiez looked roimd upon the crew of daring and 
reckless adventurers that formed the colony, and chose one 
hundred and ninety of the most resolute and vigorous, and of 
those most devoted to his person. These he armed with swords, 
targets, cross-bows, and arquebusses. He did not conceal 
from them the peril of the enterprise into which he was about 
to lead them; but the spirit of these Spanish adventurers was 
always roused by the idea of perilous and extravagant exploit. 
To aid his slender forces, he took with him a number of blood- 



118 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

hounds, which had been found to be terrific allies in Indian 
warfare. 

The Spanish writers make particular mention of one of those 
animals, named Leoncico, which was a constant companion, 
and, as it were, body-guard of Vasco Nuiiez, and describe him 
as minutely as they would a favourite warrior. He was of a 
middle size.. but immensely strong: of a dull yellow or reddish 
colour, with a black muzzle, and his body was scarred allT>ver 
with wounds received in innumerable battles with the Indians 
Vasco Nunez always took him on his expeditions, and some- 
times lent hun to others, receivmg for his services the same 
share of booty allotted to an armed man. In this way he 
gained by him, in the course of his campaigns, upwards of a 
thousand croAvns. The Indians, it is said, had conceived such 
terror of this animal, that the very sight of him was sufficient 
to put a host of them to flight.* 

In addition to these forces, Vasco Nunez took with him a 
number of the Indians of Darien, whom he had won to him by 
kindness, and whose services were important, from their 
knowledge of the wilderness, and of the habits and resources 
of savage life. Such was the motley armament that set forth 
from the httle colony of Darien, under the guidance of a dar- 
mg, if not desperate commander, in quest of the great Pacific 
Ocean. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

EXPEDITION IN QUEST OF THE SOUTHERN SEA. 

It was on the first of September that Vasco Nunez embarked 
with his followers in a.brigantine and nine large canoes or 
pirogues, followed by the cheers and good wishes of those who 
remained at the settlement. Standing to the north-westward 
he arrived without accident at Coyba, the dominions of the 
cacique Careta, whose daughter he had received as a pledge of 
amity. That Indian beauty had acquired a great influence 
over Vasco Nuiiez, and appears to have cemented his friend- 
ship with her father and her people. He was received by the 
cacique with open arms, and furnished with guides and war- 
riors to aid him in his enterprise. 



* Oviedo, Hist. Indies, p. 2, c. 3, MS. 



VA800 NXIMeZ DE BALBOA. 119 

Vasco Nunez left about half of his men at Coyba to guard 
the brigantine and canoes, while he should penetrate the wil- 
derness with the residue. The importance of this present ex- 
pedition, not merely as affecting his own fortunes, but as it 
were unfolding a mighty secret of nature, seems to have im- 
pressed itself upon his spirit, and to have given corresponding 
solemnity to his conduct. Before setting out upon his march, 
he caused mass to be performed, and offered up prayers to God 
for the success of his perilous undertaking. 

It was on the sixth of September that he struck off for the 
mountains. The march was difficult and toilsome in the ex- 
treme. The Spaniards, encumbered with the weight of their 
armour and weapons, and oppressed by the heat of a tropical 
cKmate, were obliged to climb rocky precipices, and to struggle 
through close and tangled forests. Their Indian alHes aided 
them by carrying their ammunition and provisions, and by 
guiding them to the most practicable paths. 

On the eighth of September they arrived at the village of 
Ponca, the ancient enemy of Careta. The village was lifeless 
and abandoned; the cacique and his people had fled to the 
fastnesses of the mountains. The Spaniards remained here 
several days to recruit the health of some of their number who 
had fallen ill. It was necessary also to procure guides ac- 
quainted with the mountain wilderness they were approaching. 
The retreat of Ponca was at length discovered, and he was pre- 
vailed upon, though reluctantly, to come to Vasco Nuilez. "The 
latter had a peculiar facility in winning the confidence and 
friendship of the natives. The cacique was soon so captivated 
by his kindness, that he revealed to him in secret all he knew 
of the natural riches of the country. He assured him of the 
truth of what had been told him about a great pechry or sea 
beyond the mountains, and gave him several ornaments inge- 
niously wrought of fine gold, which had been brought from 
the countries upon its borders. He told him, moreover, that 
when he had attained the summit of a lofty ridge, to which he 
pointed, and which seemed to rise up to the skies, he would 
behold that sea spread out far below him. 

Animated by the accounts, Vasco Nunez procured fresh 
guides from the cacique, and prepared to ascend the moun- 
tains. Numbers of his men having fallen ill from fatigue and 
the heat of the climate, he ordered them to return slowly to 
Coyba, taking with him none but such as were in robust and 
vigorous health. 



120 SPANISH VOYAGES* OF DISCOVERT. 

On the 20th of September, he again set forward through a 
broken rocky country, covered with a matted forest, and inter- 
sected by deep and turbulent streams, maiay of which it was 
necessary to cross upon rafts. 

So toilsome was the journey, that in four days they did not 
advance above ten leagues, and in the mean time they suffered 
excessively from hunger. At. the end of this time they arrived 
at the province of a warhke cacique, named Quaraqua, who 
was at war with Ponca. 

Hearing that a band of straaigers were entering his terri- 
tories, guided by the subjects of his inveterate foe, the cacique 
took the field with a large number of warriors, some armed 
with bows and arrows, others with long" spears, or with double- 
handed maces ot palm- wood, almost as heavy and hard as iron. 
Seeing the inconsiderable ntunber of fhe Spaniards, they set 
upon them- with furious yells, thinking to overcome them in 
an instant. The first discharge of fire-arms, however, struck 
them with dismay. They thought they were contending with 
demons who vomited forth thunder and lightning, especially 
when tliey saw their companions fall bleeding and dead beside 
them, without receiving any aj^parent blow. They took to 
headlong flight, and* were hotly pursued by the Spaniards and 
their bloodhounds. Some were transfixed with lances, others 
hewn down with swords, and mamy were torn to pieces by the 
dogs, so that Quaraqua and six hundred of his warriors were 
left dead upon the field. 

A brother of the cacique and several chiefs were taken pris- 
oners. They were clad in robes ot white cotton. Either from 
their effeminate dress, or from the accusations of their ene- 
mies, the Spaniards were induced to consider them guilty of 
unnatural crimes, and, in their abhorrence and disgust, gave 
them to be torn to pieces by the bloodhounds.* 

It is also affirmed, that among the prisoners were several ne- 
groes, who had been slaves to the.cacique. The Spaniards, we 
are told, were informed by the other captives, that these black 
men came from a region at no great distance, where there was 
a people of that colour Avith whom they were frequently at 
war. "These," adds the Spanish writer, "were the first ne- 
groes ever found in the New World, and I believe no others 
have since been discovered. ''t 



* Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. 1. 1. x. c. 1. 

t Peter Martyr, in his third Decade, makes mention of these negroes in the fol- 



VASCO NUMEZ be BALBOA. 121 

After this sanguinary triumph, the Spaniards marched to 
the village of Quaraqua, where they found considerable booty 
in gold and jewels. Of this Vasco Nunez reserved one-fifth for 
the crown, and shared the rest liberally among his followers. 
The village was at the foot of the last mountain that remained 
for them to-climb ; several of the Spaniards, however, were so 
disabled by the wounds they had received in battle, or so ex- 
hausted by the fatigue and hunger they had endured, that they 
were unable to proceed. They were obliged, therefore, reluc- 
tantly to remain in the village, within sight of the mountain- 
top that commanded the long-sought prospect, ^^sco Nuiiez 
selected fresh guides from among his prisoners, who were na- 
tives of the province, and sent back the subjects of Ponca. Of 
the band of Spaniards who had set out with him in this enter- 
prise, sixty-ii«ven alone remained in sufficient health and 
spirits for this last effort. These he ordered to retire early to 
repose, that they might be ready to set off at the cool and fresh 
hour of day -break, so as to reach the summit of the mountain 
before the noon-tide heat. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 

The day had scarcely dawned, when Vasco Nunez and his 
followers set forth from the Indian village and began to climb 
the height. It was a severe and rugged toil for men so way- 
worn, but they were filled with new ardour at the idea of the 
triumphant scene that was so soon to repay them for all their 
hardships. 

About ten o'clock in the morning they emerged from the 
thick forests through which they had hitherto struggled, and 
arrived at a lofty and airy region of the mountain. The bald 

lowing words: — " About two days' journey distant from Quaraqua is a region in- 
habited only by black Moors, exceeding fierce and cruel. It is supposed that in 
time past certain black Moor.s sailed thither out of Ethiopia, to rob, and that by 
shipwreck, or some other chance, they were driven to these mountains." As Mar- 
tyr lived and wrote at the time, he of course related the mere rumour of the day, 
which all subsequent accounts have disproved. The other historians who men- 
tioned the circumstance, have probably repeated it from him. It must have riseu 
from some misrepresentation, and is not entitled to credit, 



122 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

summit alone remained to be ascended, and their guides 
pointed to a moderate eminence from which they said the 
southern sea was visible. 

Upon this Vasco Nunez commanded his followers to halt, 
and that no man should stir from his place. Then, with a 
palpitating heart, he ascended alone the bare mountain-top. 
On reaching the summit the long-desired prospect burst upon 
his view. It was as if a new world were unfolded to him, 
separated from all hitherto known by this mighty barrier of 
mountains. Below him extended a vast chaos of rock and 
forest, and green savannahs and wandering streams, while at 
a distance the waters of the promised ocean glittered in the 
morning sun. 

At this glorious prospect Vasco Nuiiez sank upon his knees, 
and poured out thanks to God for being the first European to 
whom it was given to make that great discovery. He then 
called his people to ascend: "Behold, my friends," said he, 
"that glorious sight which we have so much desired. Let us 
give thanks to God that he has granted us this great honour 
and advantage. Let us pray to him that he will guide and aid 
us to conquer the sea and land which we have discovered, and 
in which Christian has never entered to preach the holy doc- 
trine of the Evangelists. As to yourselves, be as you have 
hitherto been, faithful and true to me, and by the favour of 
Christ you will become the richest Spaniards that have ever 
come to the Indies ; you will render the greatest services to 
your king that ever vassal rendered to his lord ; and you will 
have the eternal glory and advantage of all that is here dis- 
covered, conquered, and converted to our holy Catholic faith." 

The Spaniards answered this speech by embracing Vasco 
Nunez and promising to follow him to death. Among them 
was a priest, named Andres de Vara, who hfted up his voice 
and chanted Te Deum Jaudamus — the usual anthem of Spanish 
discoverers. The people, kneeling down, joined in the strain 
with pious enthusiasm and tears of joy ; and never did a more 
smcere oblation rise to the Deity from a sanctified altar than 
from that wild mountain summit. It was indeed one of the 
most subhme discoveries that had yet been made in the New 
World, and must have opened a boundless field of conjecture 
to the wondering Spaniards. The imagination delights to pic- 
ture forth the splendid confusion of their thoughts. Was this 
the great Indian Ocean, studded with precious islands, abound- 
ing in gold, in gems, and spices, and bordered hj the gorgeous 



VASCO NUNEZ BE BALBOA. 123 

cities and wealtJiy marts of the East? Or was it some lonely 
sea locked up in the embraces of savage uncultivated conti- 
nents, and never traversed by a bark, excepting the light 
pirogue of the Indian? The latter could hardly be the case, 
for the natives had told the Spaniards of golden realms, and 
populous and powerful and luxurious nations upon its shores. 
Perhaps it might be bordered by various people, civilized in 
fact, but differing from Europe in their civilization ; who might 
have peculiar laws and customs and arts and sciences; who 
might form, as it were, a world of their own, intercom m uning 
by this mighty sea, and carrying on commerce between their 
own islands and continents; but who might exist in total igno- 
rance and independence of the other hemisphere. 

Such may naturally have been the ideas suggested by the 
sight of this unknown ocean. It was the prevalent belief of 
the Spaniards, however, that they were the first Christians 
who had made the discovery. Vasco Nunez, therefore, called 
upon all present to witness that he took possession of that sea, 
its islands, and surrounding lands, in the name of the sov- 
ereigns of Castile, and the notary of the expedition made a 
testimonial of the same, to which all present, to the number of 
sixty-seven men, signed their names. He then caused a fair 
and tall tree to be cut down and wrought into a cross, which 
was elevated on the spot from whence he had at first beheld 
the sea. A mound of stones was likewise piled up to serve as 
a monument, and the names of the Castilian sovereigns were 
carved on the neighbouring trees. The Indians beheld aU these 
ceremonials and rejoicings m silent wonder, and, while they 
aided to erect the cross and pile up the mound of stones, 
marvelled exceedingly at the meaning of these monuments, 
little thinking that they marked clie subjugation of their land. 

The memorable evenefc here recorded took place on the 26th 
of September, 1513; so that the Spaniards had been twenty 
days performing the journey from the province of Careta to 
the summit of the mountain, a distance which at present, it is 
said, does not require nlore than six days' travel. Indeed the 
isthmus in this neighbourhood is not more than eighteen 
leagues in breadth in its widest part, and in some places 
merely seven ; but it consists of a ridge of extremely high and 
rugged mountains. When the discoverers traversed it, they 
had no route but the Indian paths, and often had to force their 
way amidst all kinds of obstacles, both from the savage 
country and its savage inhabitants. In fact, the details of 



124 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

this narrative sufficiently account for the slowness of their 
progress, and present an array of difficulties and perils which, 
as has been well observed, none but those "men of iron" could 
have subdued and overcome.* 



CHAPTER X. 

VASCO NUNEZ MARCHES TO THE SHORES OF THE SOUTH SEA. 

Having taken possession of the Pacific Ocean and all its 
realms from the summit of the mountain, Vasco Nunez now 
descended with his httle band to seek the regions of reputed 
wealth upon its shores. He had not proceeded far when he 
came to the province of a warlike cacique, named Chiapes, 
who, issuing forth at the head of his -warriors, looked with 
scorn upon the scanty number of straggling Spaniards, and 
forbade them to set foot within his territories. Vasco Nunez 
depended for safety upon his power of striking terror into the 
ignorant sa^^ages. Ordering his arquebusiers to the front, he 
poured a volley into the enemy, and then let loose the blood- 
hounds. The flash and noise of the fire-arms, and the sul- 
phurous smoke which was carried by the wind among the 
Indians, overwhelmed them with dismay. Some fell down in 
a panic as though they had been struck by thunderbolts, the 
rest betook themselves to headlong flight. 

Vasco Nunez commanded his men to refrain from needless 
slaughter. He made many prisoners, and on arriving at the 
village, sent some of them in search of their cacique, accom- 
panied by several of his Indian guides. The latter informed 
Chiapes of the supernatural power of the Spaniards, assuring 
him that they exterminated with thunder and lightning all 
who dared to oppose them, but loaded all such as submitted 
to them with benefits. They advised liim, therefore, to throw 
himseK upon their mercy and seek their friendship. 

The cacique listened to their advice, and came trembling to 
the Spaniards, bringing with him five hundred pounds weight 
of wrought gold as a peace offering, for he had already learnt 
the value they set upon that metal. Vasco Nunez received 

♦ Vidas de Espanoles C61ebres, por Don Manuel Josef Quintana. Tom, ii. p. 40, 



VASCO NUS-EZ BE BALBOA. 125 

him with great kindness, and graciously accepted his gold, 
for which he gave him beads, hawks' bells, and looking-glasses, 
making him, in his own conceit, the richest potentate on that 
side of the mountains. 

Friendship being thus established between them, Vasco 
Nuiiez remained at the village for a few days, sending back 
the guides who had accompanied liim from Quaraqua, and 
ordering his people, whom he had left at that place, to rejoin 
him. In the mean time he sent out three scouting parties, of 
twelve men each, under Francisco Pizarro, Juan de Escary, 
and Alonzo Martin de Don Benito, to explore the surrounding 
country and discover the best route to the sea. Alonzo Martin 
was the most successful. After two days' journey he came to 
a beach, where he foulid two large canoes lying high and dry, 
without any water being in sight. While the Spaniards were 
regarding these canoes, and wondering why they should be so 
far on land, the tide, which rises to a great height on that 
coast, came rapidly in afid set them afloat ; upon this, Alonzo 
Martin stepped into one of them, and called his companions to 
bear witness that he was the first European that embarked upon 
that sea ; his example was followed by one Bias de Etienza, who 
called them likewise to testify that he was the second.* 

We mention minute particulars of the kind as being charac- 
teristic of these extraordinary enterprises, and of the extra- 
ordinary people who undertook them. The humblest of these 
Spanish adventurers seemed actuated by a swelling and 
ambitious spirit, that rose superior at times to mere sordid 
considerations, and aspired to share the glory of these great 
discoveries. The scouting party having thus explored a direct 
route to the sea coast, returned to report their success to their 
commander. 

Vasco Nuiiez being rejoined by his men from Quaraqua, now 
left the greater part of his followers to repose and recover from 
their sickness and fatigues in the village of Chiapes, and, 
taking with him twenty-six Spaniards, well armed, he set oui 
on the twenty -ninth of September, for the sea coast, accom- 
panied by the cacique and a number of his warriors. The 
thick forest which covered the mountains descend d to the 
very margin of the sea, surrounding and overshadowing the 
wide and beautiful bays that penetrated far into the land. 
The whole coast, as far as the eye could reach, was perfectly 

* Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. i. 1. x. c. 3. 



126 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

wild, the sea without a sail, and both seemed never to have 
been under the dominion of civihzed man. 

Vasco Nunez arrived on the borders of one of those vast 
bays, to which he gave the name of Saint Michael, it being 
discovered on that saint's day. The tide was out, the water 
was above half a league distant, and the intervening beach 
was covered with mud ; he seated himself, therefore, under the 
shade of the forest trees until the tide should rise. After a 
while the water came rushing in with great impetuosity, and 
soon reached nearly to the place where the Spaniards were 
reposing. Upon this, Vasco Nunez rose and took a banner, on 
which were painted the Virgin and child, and under them the 
arms of Castile and Leon; then drawing his sword and throw- 
ing his buckler on his shoulder, he marched into the sea until 
the water reached above his knees, and waving his banner, ex- 
claimed, with a loud voice, "Long hve the high and mighty 
monarchs, Don Ferdinand and Donna Juanna, sovereigns of 
Castile, of Leon, and of Arragon, in \Vhose name, and for the 
royal crown of Castile, I take real, and corporal,* and actual 
possession of these seas, and lands, and coasts, and ports, and 
islands of the South, and all thereimto annexed; and of the 
kingdoms and provinces which do or may appertain to them 
in whatever manner, or by whatever right or title, ancient or 
modern, in times past, present, or to come, without any con- 
tradiction ; and if other prince or captain, christian or infidel, 
or of any law, sect, or condition whatsoever, shall pretend any 
right to these lands and seas, I am ready and prepared to 
maintain and defend them in the name of the Castilian sov- 
ereigns, present and future, whose is the empire and dominion 
over these Indias, islands, and terra firma, northern and 
southern, with all their seas, both at the arctic and antarctic 
poles, on either side of the equinoxial line, whether within or 
without the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, both now and in 
all times, as long as the world endures, and until the final day 
of judgment of all mankind." . 

This swelling declaration and defiance being uttered with a f 
loud voice, and no one appearing to dispute his pretensions, * 
Vasco Nunez called upon his companions to bear witness of the 
fact of his having duly taken possession. They all declared 
themselves ready to defend his claim to the uttermost, as be- 
came true and loyal vassals to the Castilian sovereigns; and 
the notary having drawn up a document for the occasion, they 
all subscribed it with then- names. i 



VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. 127 

This done, they advanced to the margin of the sea, and 
stooping down tasted its waters. When they found, that, 
though severed by intervening mountains and continents, they 
were salt hke the seas of the north, they felt assured that 
they had indeed discovered an ocean, and again returned 
thanks to God. 

Having concluded all these ceremonies, Vasco Nuiiez drew a 
dagger from his girdle and cut a cross on a tree which grew 
within the water, and made two other crosses on two adjacent 
trees in honour of the Three Persons of the Trinity, and in 
token of possession. His followers likewise cut crosses on 
many of the trees of the adjacent forest, and lopped off 
branches with their swords to bear away as trophies. * 

Such was the singular medley of chivalrous and rehgious 
ceremonial mth which these Spanish adventurers took pos- 
session of the vast Pacific Ocean, and all its lands — a scene 
strongly characteristic of the nation and the age. 



CHAPTER XI. 



ADVENTURES OF VASCO NUNEZ ON THE BORDERS OF THE PACIFIC 

OCEAN. 

While he made the village of Chiapes his headquarters, 
Vasco Nuiiez foraged the adjacent country and obtained a 
considerable quantity of gold from the natives. Encouraged 
by his success, he undertook to explore by sea the borders of a 
neighbouring gulf of great extent, which penetrated far into 
the land. The cacique Chiapes warned him of the danger of 
venturing to sea in the stormy season, which comprises the 
months of October, November, and December, assuring him 
that he had beheld many canoes swallowed up in the mighty 
waves and whirlpools, which at such times render the gulf 
almost unnavigable. 

These remonstrances were unavailing: Vasco Nuiiez ex- 
pressed a confident belief that God would protect him, seeing 
that his voyage was to redound to the propagation of the faith, 

* Many of the foregoing particulars are from the unpublished volume of Oviedo's 
Hlstpry of the Indias, 



128 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

and the augmentation of the power of the Castilian monarchs 
over the infidels ; and in truth this bigoted reUance on the im- 
mediate protection of heaven seems to have been in a great 
measure the cause of the extravagant daring of the Spaniards 
in their expeditions in those days, whether against Moors or 
Indians. 

Seeing his representations of no effect, Chiapes volunteered 
to take part in this perilous cruise, lest he should appear want- 
ing in courage, or in good-will to his guest. Accompanied 
by the cacique, therefore, Vasco Nuiiez embarked on the 17th 
of October with sixty of his men in nine canoes, managed by 
Indians, leaving the residue of his followers to recruit their 
health and strength in the village of Chiapes. 

Scarcely, however, had they put forth on the broad bosom 
of the gulf when the wisdom of the cacique's advice was made 
apparent. The wind began to blow freshly, raising a heavy 
and tumultuous sea, which broke in roaring and foaming 
surges on the rocks and reefs, and among the numerous islets 
with which the gidf was studded. The light canoes were 
deeply laden with men unskilled in their management. It was 
frightful to those in one canoe to behold their companions, one 
instant tossed on high on the breaking crest of a wave, the 
next plunging out of sight, as if swallowed in a watery abyss. 
The Indians themselves, though almost amphibious in their 
habits, showed signs of consternation ; for amidst these rocks 
and breakers even the skill of the expert swimmer would be 
of little avail. At length the Indians succeeded in tying the 
canoes in pairs, side by side, to prevent their being overturned, 
and in this way they kept afloat, until towards evening they 
were enabled to reach a small island. Here they landed, and 
fastening the canoes to the rocks, or to smaU trees that grew 
upon the shore, they sought an elevated dry place, and 
stretched themselves to take repose. They had but escaped 
from one danger to encounter another. Having been for a 
long time accustomed to the sea on the northern side of the 
isthmus, where there is little, if any, rise or fall of the tide, 
they had neglected to take any precaution against such an oc- 
currence. In a httle while they were awakened from their 
sleep by the rapid rising of the water. They shifted their sit- 
uation to a higher ground, but the waters continued to gain 
upon them, the breakers rushing and roaring and foaming 
upon the beach like so many monsters of the deep seeking for 
their prey. Nothing, it is said, can be more dismal and ap- 



VASCO yUJS/h'Z ]JE BALBOA. 129 

palling than the sullen bellowing of the sea among the islands 
of that gulf at the rising and falling of the tide. By degrees, 
rock after rock, and one sand bank after another disappeared, 
until the sea covered the wliole island, and rose almost to the 
girdles of the Spaniards. Their situation was now agonizing. 
A little more and the waters would overwhehn them ; or, even 
as it was, the least surge might break over them and sweep 
them from their unsteady footing. Fortunately the wind had 
lidled, and the sea, having risen above the i-ocks which had 
fretted it. was calm. The tide had reached its height and 
began to subside, and after a time they heard the retiring 
waves beating against the rocks below them. 

When the day daw^ned they sought their canoes ; but here a 
sad spectacle met their eyes. Some were broken to pieces, 
others yaAvning open in many parts. The clothing and food 
left in them had been washed away, and replaced by sand and 
water. The Spaniards gazed on the scene in mute despair; 
they were faint and weary, and needed food and repose, but 
famine and labour awaited them, even if they should escape 
with their lives. Vasco Nunez, however, rallied their spirits, 
and set them an example by his own cheerful exertions. Obey- 
ing his directions, they set to work to repair, in the best man- 
ner they were able, the damages of the canoes. Such as were 
not too much shattered they bound and braced up with their 
girdles, v>dth slips of the bark of trees, or with the tough long 
stalks of certain sea- weeds. They then peeled off the bark 
from the small sea plants, pounded it between stones, and mixed 
it with grass, and with this endeavoured to caulk th-e seams 
and stop the leaks that remained. When they re-embarked, 
their nmnbers v/eighed down the canoes almost to the water's 
edge, and as they rose and sank with the swelling waves there 
w-a.s danger of their being swallowed up. All day they laboured 
with the sea, suffering excessively from the pangs of hunger 
and thirst, and at nightfall they landed in a coi'ner of the gulf, 
near the abode of a cacique named Tumaco. Leaving a part of 
his men to guard the canoes, Vasco Nunez set out with the 
i-esidue for the Indian town. He arrived there about midnight, 
but the inhabitants were on the alert to defend their habita- 
tions. The fire-ai-ms and dogs soon put them to flight, and the 
Spaniards pursuing them with their swords, drove them howl- 
ing into the woods. In the village were found provisions in 
abundance, beside a considerable amount of gold and a great 
(quantity of pearls, many of them of a large size. In tlie house 



130 .S7UiV/*7/ VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

of the cacique were several huge shells of mother-of-pearl, and 
four pearl oysters quite fresh, which showed that there was a 
pearl fishery in the neighbourhood. Eager to learn the sources 
of this wealth, Vasco Nuiiez sent several of the Indians of 
Chiapes in search of the cacique, who traced him to a wild re- 
treat among the rocks. By their persuasions Tumaco sent his 
son, a fine young savage, as a mediator. The latter returned 
to his father loaded with presents, and extolling the benignity 
of these superhuman beings, who had shoAvn tliemselves so ter- 
rible in battle. By these means, and by a mutual exchange of 
presents, a friendly intercourse was soon established. Among 
other things the cacique gave Vasco Nunez jewels of gold 
weighing six hundred and fourteen crowns, and two hundred 
pearls of great size and beauty, excepting that they were some- 
what discoloured in consequence of the oysters having been 
opened by fire. * 

The cacique seeing the value which the Spaniards set upon 
the pearls, sent a number of his men to fish for them at a place 
about ten miles distant. Certain of the Indians were trained 
from their youth to this purpose, so as to become expert divers, 
and to acquire the power of remaining a long time beneath the 
water. The largest pearls are generally found in the deepest 
waters, sometimes in tiiree and four fathoms, and are oiAj 
sought in calm weather; the smaller sort are found at the 
depth of two and three feet, and the oysters containing them 
are often driven in quantities on the beach during violent 
storms. 

The party of pearl divers sent by the cacique consisted of 
thirty Indians, with whom Vasco Nunez sent six Spaniards as 
eye-witnesses. The sea, however, was so furious at that 
stormy season that the divers dared not venture into the deep 
water. Such a number of the shell -fish, however, had been 
driven on shore, that they collected enough to yield pearls to 
the value of twelve marks of gold. They were small, but ex- 
ceedingly beautiful, being newly taken and uninjured by fire. 
A number of these shell-fish and their pearls were selected to 
be sent to Spain as specimens, 

In reply to the inquiries of Vasco Nunez, the cacique informed 
him that the coast which he saw stretching to the west con- 
tinued onwards without end, and that far to the south there 
was a country abounding in gold, where the inhabitants made 
use of certain quadrupeds to carry burthens. He moulded a 
figure of -clay to represent these animals, which some of the 



PA^'^aO NUNliJZ BE BALBOA. 131 

Spaniards supposed to be a deer, others a camel, others a tapir, 
for as yet they knew nothing of the lama, the native beast of 
burthen of South America. This was the second intimation 
received by Vasco Nunez of the great empire of Peru ; and, 
while it confirmed all that had been told him by the son of 
Comagre, it filled him with glowing anticipations of the glori- 
ous triumphs that awaited him. 



CHAPTER XII. 



FURTHER ADVENTURES AND EXPLOITS OF VASCO NUNEZ ON THE 
BORDERS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 

Lest any ceremonial should be wanting to secure this grand 
discovery to the crown of Spain, Vasco Nunez determined to 
sally from the gulf and take possession of the main land be- 
yond. The cacique Tumaco furnished him with a canoe of 
state, formed from the trunk of an enormous tree, and managed 
by a great number of Indians. The handles of the paddles 
were inlaid with small pearls, a circumstance which Vasco 
Nunez caused his companions to testify before the notary, that 
it might be reported to the sovereigns as a proof of the wealth 
of this newly discovered sea. * 

Departing in the canoe on the 29th of October, he was piloted 
cautiously by the Indians along the borders of the gulf, over 
drowned lands where the sea was fringed by inundated forests 
and as still as a pool. Arrived at the point of the gulf, Vasco 
Nunez landed on a smooth sandy beach, laved by the waters 
.of the broad ocean, and, with buckler on arm, sword in hand, 
and banner displayed, again marched into the sea and took 
possession of it, with like ceremonials to those observed in the 
Gulf of St. Michael's. 

The Indians now pointed to a line of land rising above the 
horizon about four or five leagues distant, which they described 
as . being a great island, the principal one of an archipelago. 
The whole group abounded with pearls, but those taken on the 
coasts of this island were represented as being of immense size, 
many of them as large as a man's eye, and found in shell-fish as 

* Ovledo, Hist. Gen. p. 2, MS. 



l'^''2 ^'^PANJSii loTAaEs OF nmcovtiiiiy. 

big as bucklers. This island and the surrounding cluster of 
small ones, they added, were under the dominion of a tyranni- 
cal and puissant cacique, who often, during the calm seasons, 
made descents upon the main land with fleets of canoes, plun- 
dering and desolating the coasts, and carrying the people into 
captivity. 

Vasco Nuiiez gazed with an eager and wistful eye at this 
land of riches, and would have immediately undertaken an ex- 
pedition to it, had not the Indians represented the danger of 
venturing on such a voyage in that tempestuous season in their 
frail canoes. His own recent experience convinced him of the 
wisdom of their remonstrances. He postponed his visit, there- 
fore, to a future occasion, when, he assured his allies, he would 
avenge them upon this tyrant invader, and deliver their coasts 
from his maraudings. In the mean time he gave to this island 
the name of Isla Eica, and the little archipelago surrounding it 
the general appellation of the Pearl Islands. 

On the third of November Vasco Nunez departed from the 
pro vi .ice of Tumaco, to visit other parts of the coast. He em- 
barked with his men in the canoes, accompanied by Chiapes 
and his Indians, and guided by the son of Tumaco, who had 
become strongly attached to the Spaniards. The young man 
piloted them along an arm of the sea, wide in some places, but 
in others obstructed by groves of mangrove trees, which grew 
within the water and interlaced their branches from shore to 
shore, so that at times the Spaniards were obliged to cut a pas- 
sage with their swords. 

At length they entered a great and turbulent river, which 
they ascended with difficulty, and early the next morning 
surprised a village on its banks, making the cacique Teao- 
chan prisoner ; who purchased their favour and kind treatment 
by a quantity of gold and pearls, and an abundant supply of 
provisions. x\s it was the intention of Vasco Nufiez to aban- 
don the shores of the Southern Ocean at this place, and to 
strike across the mountains for Darien, he took leave of 
Chiapes and of the youthful son of Tumaco, who were to re- 
turn to their houses in the canoes. He sent at the same time 
a message to his men, Avhom he had left in the village of 
Chiapes, appointing a place in the mountains where they were 
to rejoin him on his way back to Darien. 

The talent of Vasco Nunez for conciliating and winning the 
good-will of the savages is often mentioned, and to such a de- 
gree had he exerted it in the present instance, that the two 



VASao NU^EZ DE BALBOA. JBB 

chieftains shed tears at parting. Their conduct had a favour- 
able effect upon the cacique Teaochan ; he entertained Vasco 
Nunez with the most devoted hospitahty during three days 
that he remained in his village ; when about to depart he fur- 
nished him with a stock of provisions sufficient for several 
days, as his route would lay over rocky and sterile mountains. 
He sent also a numerous band of his subjects to carry the bur- 
thens of the Spaniards. These he placed under the command 
of his son, whom he ordered never to separate from the stran- 
gers, nor to permit any of his men to return without the con- 
sent of Vasco NuSez. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



VASCO nuSez sets out on his return across the mountains 
—HIS contests with the savages. 

Turning their backs upon the Southern Sea, the Spaniards 
now began painfully to clamber the rugged mountains on liieir 
return to Darien. 

In the early part of their route an unlooked-for suffeMng 
awaited them : there was neither brook nor fountain nor stand- 
ing pool. The burning heat, which produced intolerable thirst, 
had dried up all the mountain torrents, and they v/ere tanta- 
lized by the sight of naked and dusty channels where water 
had once flowed in abundance. Their sufferings at length in- 
creased to such a height that many threw themselves fevered 
and panting upon the earth, and were ready to give up the 
ghost. The Indians, however, encouraged them to proceed, 
by hopes of speedy relief, and after a v/hile, turning aside 
from the direct course, led them into a deep and narrow glen, 
refreshed and- cooled by a fountain which bubbled out of a cleft 
of the rocks. 

While refreshing themselves at the fountain, and reposing in 
the Kttle valley, they learnt from their guides that they were 
in the territories of a powerful chief named Poncra, famous 
for his riches. The Spaniards had already heard of the golden 
stores* of this Croesus of the mountains, and being now re- 
freshed and invigorated, pressed forward with eagerness for 
his village. 



1^4 f^PANim YOYAOES OF DISCOVERY. 

The cacique and most of his people fled at their approach, 
but they found an earnest of his wealth in the deserted houses, 
amounting to the value of three thousand crowns in gold. 
Their avarice thus whetted, they despatched Indians in search 
of Poncra, who found him trembling in his secret retreat, and 
partly by threats, partly by promises, prevailed upon him and 
three of his principal subjects to come to Vasco Nuilez. He 
was a savage, it is said, so hateful of aspect, so misshapen in 
body and deformed in all his members, that he was hideous to 
behold. The Spaniards endeavoured by gentle means to draw 
from him information of the places from whence he had pro- 
cured liis gold. He professed utter ignorance in the matter, 
declaring that the gold found in his village had been gathered 
by his predecessors in times long past, and that as he himself 
set no value on the metal, he had never troubled himself to 
seek it. The Spaniards resorted to menaces, and even, it is 
said, to tortures, to compel him to betray his reputed treasures, 
but with no better success. Disappointed in their expecta- 
tions, and em^aged at his supposed obstinacy, they listened too 
readily to charges advanced against him by certain caciques t 
of the neighbourhood, who represented him as a monster of' 
cruelty, and as guilty of crimes repugnant to nature.;* where- 
upon, in the heat of the moment, they gave him and his three ^ 
companions, who were said to be equally guilty, to be torn in f 
pieces by the dogs. — A rash and cruel sentence, given on the! 
evidence of avowed enemies ; and which, however it may be | 
palliated by the alleged horror and disgust of the Spaniards at 
the imputed crimes of the cacique, bears too much the stamp 
of haste and passion, and remains a foul blot on the character 
of Vasco Nuiiez. 

The Spaniards remained for thirty days reposing in the vil- 
lage of the unfortunate Poncra, during which time they were 
rejoined by their companions, who had been left behind at the 
village of Chiapes. They were accompanied by a cacique of 
the mountains, who had lodged and fed them, and made them 
presents of the value of two thousand croAvns in gold. This 
hospitable savage approached Vasco Nufiez with a serene 
countenance, and taking him by the hand, "Behold," said he, 
' ' most valiant and powerful chief, I bring thee thy companions 
safe and well, as they entered under my roof. May he who 
made the thunder and lightning, and who gives us the fruits 



* p. Martvr. d. iii. c. 



VA8CU JS'UNKZ 1)E BALBOA. 135 

of the earth, preserve thee and tliine in safety I" So saying, 
he raised his eyes to the sun, as if he worshipped that as his 
deity and the dispenser of all temporal blessings.* 

Departing from this village, and being still accompanied by 
the Indians of Teaochan, the Spaniards now bent their course 
along the banks of the river Comagre, which descends the 
northern side of the Isthmus, and flows through the territories 
of the cacique of the same name. This wild stream, which 
in the course of ages had worn a channel through the deep 
clefts and ravines of the mountains, was bordered hy preci- 
pices, or overhung by shagged forests; they soon abandoned 
it, therefore, and wandered on without any path, but giiided 
by the Indians. They had to climb terrible precipices, and to 
descend into deep valleys, darkened by thick forests and beset 
by treacherous morasses, where, but for their guides, they 
might have been smothered in the mire. 

In the course of this rugged journey they suffered excessive- 
ly in consequence of their own avarice. They had been warned 
of the sterility of the country they were about to traverse, and 
of the necessity of providing amply for the journey. When they 
came to lade the Indians, however, who bore their burdens, 
their only thought was how to convey the most treasure ; and 
they grudged even a slender supply of provisions, as taking up 
the place of an equal weight of gold. The consequences were 
soon felt. The Indians could carry but small burthens, and at 
the same time assisted to consume the scanty stock of food 
which formed part of their load. Scarcity and famine ensued, 
and relief was rarely to be procured, for the villages on this 
elevated part of the mountains were scattered and poor, and 
nearly destitute of provisions. They held no communication 
with each other ; each contenting itself with the scanty prod- 
uce of its own fields and forest. Some were entirely deserted ; 
at other places, the inhabitants, forced from their retreats, 
implored pardon, and declared they had hidden themselves 
through shame, not having the means of properly entertaining 
such celestial visitors. They brought peace-offerings of gold, 
but no provisions. For once the Spaniards found that even 
their darling gold could fail to cheer their drooping spirits. 
Their sufferings from hunger became intense, and many of 
their Indian companions sank down and perished by the way. 
At length they reached a village where they were enabled to 



* Henera, (J, i, 1. x. c, 4, 



-|36 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

obtain supplies, and where tbey remained thirty days, to re- 
cruit their wasted strength. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

ENTERPRISE AGAINST TUBANAMA, THE WARLIKE CACIQUE O^ THE 
MOUNTAINS— RETURN TO DARIEN. 

The Spaniards had now to pass through the territories of 
M\ibanama, the most potent and warhke cacique of the moun- 
tains This was the same chieftain of whom a lormidable 
4aracter had been given by the young Indian prince, w]io 
iivst informed Vasco Nuilez of the southern sea. He had erro- 
neously represented the dominions of Tubanama as lymg be- 
vond the mountains; and, when he dwelt upon the quantities 
of j?old to be found in them, had magnified the dangers that 
would attend any attempt to pass their borders. The name of 
this redoubtable C£icique was, in fact, a terror liiroughout the 
country and, when Vasco Nunez looked round upon his haiid- 
ml of pale and emaciated foHowers, he doubted whether even 
the superiority of their weapons and their military skill would 
enable them to cope with Tubanama and his armies m open 
contest He resolved, therefore, to venture upon a perilous 
stratagem. When he made it known to his men, every one 
pressed forward to engage in it. Choosing seventy of the most 
vigorous, he ordered the rest to maintain their post m tlie vil- 

'Ts soon as night had fallen, he departed silently and secretly 
with hist3hosen band and made his way with such rapidity 
through the labyrinths of the forests and the defiles of the 
mountains that he arrived in the neighbourhood of the resi- 
dence of Tubanama by the following evening, though at the 
distance of two regular days' journey. , , „, i 

There waiting until midnight, he assailed the village siicl 
denly and with success, so as to surprise and capture the 
cacique and his whole family, in which were eightyfema.es. 
When Tubanama found himself a prisoner m the hands ot tlie 
Spaniards, he lost all presence of mind and wept bitterly. Tue 
Indian allies of Vasco Nufiez, beholding their once-dreaded 
ei^emy thus fallen and captive, noAv urged that he should be 



Kisco NVNm dh: balboa. 1:-j7 

put; to d(^ath, accusing him of various crimes and cruelties. 
Vasco Nunez pretended to listen to their prayers, and gave 
orders that his captive sh'^)uld be tied hand and foot and giveji 
to the dogs. The cacique approached him trembling, and laid 
his hand upon the pommel of his sword. "Who can pretend," 
said he, ' ' to strive with one who bears this weapon, which can 
cleave a man asunder with a blow? Ever since thy fame has 
reached among these moimtains have I reverenced thy valour. 
Spare my life and thou shalt have all the gold I can procure. " 

Vasco Nuiiez, whose auger vfas assumed, was readily paci- 
fied. As soon as the day dawned the cacique gave him arm- 
lets and other jewels of gold to the value of three thousand 
crowns, and sent messengers throughout his dominions order- 
ing his subjects to aid in paying his ransom. The poor In- 
dians, with their accustomed loyalty, hastened in crowds, 
bringing their golden ornaments, until, in the course of three 
days, they had produced an amount equal to six thousand 
crowns. This done, Vasco Nunez set the cacique at liberty, 
bestowing on him several European trinkets, with which he 
considered himself richer than he had been with all his gold. 
Nothing would draw from him, however, the disclosure of the 
mines from whence this treasure was procured. He declared 
that it came from the territories of his neighbours, where gold 
and pearls were to be found in abundance ; but that his lands 
produced nothing of the kind. Vasco Nuiiez doubted his sin- 
cerity, and secretly caused the brooks and rivers in his domin- 
ions to be searched, where gold was found in such quantities, 
that he determined at a future time to found two settlements 
in the neighbourhood. 

On parting with Tubanama. the cacique sent his son with the . 
Spaniards to learn their language and religion. It is said, also, 
that the Spaniards carried off his eighty Avomen ; but of this par- 
ticidar fact, Oviedo, who writes with the papers of Vasco Nuiiez 
before him, says nothing. He affirms generally, however, that 
the Spaniards, throughout this expedition, were not scrupulous 
in their dealings with the Avives and daughters of the Indians ; 
and adds that in this their commander set them the example.* 

Having returned to the village, where he had left the greater 
part of his men, Vasco Nunez resumed his homeward march. 
His people were feeble and exhausted -and several of them sick, 
so that some had to be carried and others led by tlie arms. He 



* Oviedo, Hist. Gen. Part II. e. 4, MS. 



J3f^ SPANIS/l VOYAGIiJS OF DlSCOVEllY. 

himself was part of tlic time afflicted by a fever, and ]iod to bo 
borne in a haniniock on the shoulders of the Indians. 

Proceeding thus slowly and toilfully, they at length arrived 
on the northern sea-coast, at the territories of their ally, Oo- 
magre. The old cacique was dead and had been succeeded by 
his son, the same intelligent youth who had first given infor- 
mation of the southern sea and the kingdom of Peru. The 
young chief, who had embraced Christianity, received them 
with great hospitality, making them presents of gold. Vasco 
Nunez gave him trinkets in return and a shirt and a soldier's 
cloak ; with which, says Peter Martyr, he thought himself half 
a god among his naked countrymen. After having reposed for 
a few days, Vasco Nimez proceeded to Ponca, where he heard 
that a ship and caravel had arrived at Darien from Hispaniola 
with reinforcements and supplies. Hastening, therefore, to 
Coyba, the territories of his ally, Careta, he embarked on the 
18th of January, 1514, with twenty of his men, in the brigan- 
tine which he had left there, and arrived at Santa Maria de la 
Antigua in the river of Darien on the following day. All the 
inhabitants came forth to receive him ; and, when they heard 
the nev\^s of the great southern sea, and of his returning from 
its shores laden with pearls and gold, there were no bounds to 
their joy. He immediately despatched the sliip and caravel to 
Coyba for the companions he had left behind, who brought 
with them the remaining booty, consisting of gold and pearls, 
mantles, hammocks, and other articles of cotton, and a great 
number of captives of both sexes. A fifth of the spoil was set 
apart for the crown ; the rest was shared, in just proportions, 
among those who had been in the expedition and those who 
had remained at Darien. All were contented with their allot- 
ment, and elated with the prospect of still greater gain from 
future enterprises. 

Thus ended one of the most remarkable expeditions of the 
early discoverers. The intrepidity of Vasco Nuilez in pene- 
trating with a handful of men far into the interior of a wild 
and mountainous country, peopled by warlike tribes : his skill 
in managing his band of rough adventurers, stimulating their 
valour, enforcing their obedience, and attaching their affec- 
tions, show him to have possessed great qualities as a general. 
"We are told that he was always foremost in peril and the last 
to quit the field. He shared the toils and dangers of the mean- 
est of his followers, treating them with frank affability ; watch- 
ing, fighting, fasting, and labouring with them; visiting and 



VASCO NUM^Z DE BALBOA. 139 

consoling such as were sick or infirm, and dividing all his 
gains with fairness and liberality. He was chargeable at times 
with acts of bloodshed and injustice, but it is probable that 
these were often called for as measures of safety and precau- 
tion ; he certainly offended less against humanity than most of 
the early discoverers; and the unbounded amity and confi- 
dence reposed in him by the natives, when they became inti- 
mately acquainted with his character, speak strongly in 
favour of his kind treatment of them. 

The character of Vasco Nuiiez had, in fact, risen with his 
circumstances, and now assumed a nobleness and grandeur 
from the discovery he had made, and the important charge it 
had devolved upon him. He no longer felt himself a mere 
soldier of fortune, at the head of a band of adventurers, but a 
great commander conducting all immortal enterprise. "Be- 
hold," says old Peter Martyr, "Vasco Nunez de Balboa, at 
once transformed from a rash royster to a politic and discreet 
captain:" and thus it is that men are often made by their for- 
tunes; that is to say, their latent qualities are brought out, 
and shaped and strengthened by events, and by the necessity 
of every exertion to cope with the greatness of their destiny. 



CHAPTER XV. 

TRANSACTIONS IN SPAIN— PEDR ARIAS DAVILA APPOINTED TO THE 
COMMAND OF DARIEN-— TIDINGS RECEIVED IN SPAIN OF THE 
DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 

Vasco Nlinez de Balboa now flattered himself that he had 
made a discovery calculated to silence all his enemies at court, 
and to elevate him to the highest favour with his sovereign. . 
He wrote letters to the king, giving a detail of his expedition, 
and setting forth all that he had seen or heard of this Southern 
Sea, and of the rich countries upon its borders. Beside the 
royal fifths of the profits of the expedition, he prepared a 
present for the sovereign, in the name of himself and his com- 
panions, consisting of the 1^'gest and most precious pearls 
they had collected. As a trusty and intelligent envoy to bear 
these tidings, he chose Pedro de Arbolancha, an old and tried 
friend, who had accompanied him in his toils and dangers, 
and was well acquainted with all his transactions. 



140 SPAI^ISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

The fate of Vasco Nunez furnishes a striking instance how 
prosperity and adversity, how even Hfe and death hang bal- 
anced upon a point of time, and are affected by the improve- 
ment or neglect of moments. Unfortunately, the ship which 
was to convey the messenger to Spain lingered in port until 
the beginning of March ; a delay which had a fatal influence 
on the fortunes of Vasco Nuiiez. It is necessary here to cast 
an eye back upon the events which had taken place in Spain 
wiiile he was employed in his conquests and discoveries. 

The Bachelor Enciso had arrived in Castile full of his wrongs 
and indignities. He had friends at court, who aided him in 
gaining a ready hearing, and he lost not a moment in availing 
himself of it. He declaimed eloquently upon the alleged usur- 
pation of Vasco Nunez, and represented him as governing the 
colony by force and fraud. It was in vain that the Alcalde 
Zamudio, the ancient colleague and the envoy of Vasco Nunez, 
attempted to speak in his defence ; he was miable to cope with 
the facts and arguments of the Bachelor, who Avas ,a pleader 
by profession, and now pleaded his own cause. The king de- 
termined to send a new governor to Darien with power to in- 
quire into and remedy all abuses. For this office he chose 
Don Pedro Arias Davila, commonly called Pedrarias.* He 
was a native of Segovia, who had been brought up in the royal 
household, -and had distinguished himself as a brave soldier, 
both in the war in Granada and at the taking of Oran and 
Bugia in Africa. He possessed those personal accomplish- 
ments which captivate the soldiery, and was called el Galan, 
for his gallant array and courtly demeanour, and el Justador, 
or the Tilter, for his dexterity in jousts and tournaments. 
These, it must be admitted, were not the qualifications most 
adapted for the government of iiide and factious colonies in a 
Avilderness; but he had an all-powerful friend in the Bishop 
Fonseca. The Bishop was as thoroughgoing in patronage as 
in persecution. He assured the king that Pedrarias had mi- 
derstanding equal to bis valour; that he was as capable of 
managing the affairs of peace as of war, and that, having been 
brought up in the royal household, his loyalty might be im- 
plicitly relied on. 

Scarcely had Don Pedvarias been appointed, when Cayzedo 
and Colmenares arrived on their mission from Darien. to 
communicate the intelligence received tvi/m th^' son of the 



* P.Y t^e. 'EngliKh ]iistorians he h£is genevatlly betpR <^^aP,?<?. T^^;YU9;. 



VASCO NU^EZ DE BALBOA. \4\ 

Cacique Comagre, of the Southern Sea beyond the mountains, 
and to ask one thousand men to enable Vasco Nunez to make 
the discovery. 

The avarice arid ambition of Ferdinand were inflamed by 
the tidings. Ke rewarded the bearers of the intelHgence, and, 
after consulting with Bishop Fonseca, resolved to despatch 
immediately a powerful armada, with twelve hundred men, 
under the command of Pedrarias, to accomplish the enterprise. 

Just about this time the famous Gonsalvo Hernandez de 
Cordova, commonly called the Great Captain, was preparing 
to return to Naples, where the alUes of Spain had experienced 
a signal defeat, and had craved the assistance of this renowned 
general to retrieve their fortunes. The chivalry of Spain 
thronged to enhst under the banner of Gonsalvo. The Span- 
ish nobles, with their accustomed prodigality, sold or mort- 
gaged their estates to buy gorgeous armour, silks, brocades, 
and other articles of martial pomp and luxury, that they 
might figure, with becoming magnificence, in the campaigns 
of Italy. The armament was on the point of sailing for 
Naples with this host of proud and gallant spirits, when the 
jealous mind of Ferdinand took offence at the enthusiasm thus 
shown towards his general, and he abruptly countermanded 
the expedition. The Spanish cavaliers were overwhelmed 
with disappointment at having their dreams of glory thus 
suddenly dispelled ; when, as if to console them, the enterprise 
of Pedrarias was set on foot, and opened a different career of 
adventure. The very idea of an unknown sea and splendid 
empire, where never European ship had sailed or foot had 
trodden, broke upon the imagination with the vague wonders 
of an Arabian tale. Even the countries already known, in the 
vicinity of the settlement of Darien, were described in the 
usual terms of exaggeration. Gold was said to lie on the 
surface of the ground, or to be gathered with nets out of 
the brooks and rivers; insomuch that the region hitherto 
called Terra Firma now received the pompous and delusive 
appellation of Castilla del Oro, or Golden Castile. 

Excited by these reports, many of the youthful cavaliers, 
who had prepared for the ItaUan campaign, now offered 
themselves as volunteei-s to Don Pedrarias. He accepted 
their services, and appointed Seville as the place of assem- 
blage. The streets of that ancient city soon swarmed with 
young arjd noble cavaliers splendidly arrayed, full of spirits, 
and eag**v for th^ ^jailing of x\\m Indian armada, Fedraiaas, 



l4^ SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

on his arrival at Seville, made a general review of his forces, 
and was embarrassed to find that the number amounted to 
three thousand. He had been hmited in his first armament 
to twelve hundred; on representing the nature of the case, 
however, the number was extended to fifteen hundred; but 
through influence, entreaty, and stratagem, upwards of two 
thousand eventuaUy embarked.* Happy did he think hun- 
self who could in any manner, and by any means, get ad- 
mitted on board of the squadron. Nor was this eagerness 
for the enterprise confined merely to young and buoyant 
and ambitious adventurers; we are told that there were 
many covetous old men, who offered to go at their own 
expense, without seeking any pay from the king. Thus 
every eye was turned with desire to this squadron of mod- 
ern Argonauts, as it lay anchored on the bosom of the 
Guadalquiver. 

The pay and appointments of Don Pedrarias Davila were 
on the most liberal scale, and no expense was spared in fit- 
tmg out the armament; for the objects of the expedition were 
both colomzation and conquest. Artillery and powder were 
procured from Malaga. Beside the usual weapons, such as 
muskets, cross-bows, swords, pikes, lances, and Neapolitan 
targets, there was armour devised of qufited cotton, as being 
light and better adapted to the climate, and sufficiently proof 
agamst the weapons of the Indians; and wooden bucklers 
from the Canary Islands, to ward off the poisoned arrows of 
the Caribs. 

Santa Maria de la Antigua was, by royal ordinance, elevated 
into the metropolitan city of Golden Castile, and a Franciscan 
fnar, named Juan de Quevedo, was appointed as bishop with 
powers to decide in all cases of conscience. A number of 
friars were nominated to accompany him, and he was pro- 
vided with the necessary furniture and vessels for a chapel 

Among the various regulations made for the good of tlie 
infant colony, it Avas ordained that no lawyers should be 
admitted there, it having been found at Hispaniola and else- 
where, that they were detrimental to the welfare of the settle- 
ments, by fomenting disputes and htigations. The judicial 
affairs were to be entirely confided to the Licentiate Gaspar 
de Espmosa, who was to officiate as Alcalde Mayor or chief 
judge. 



* Oviedo, I. ii., c-. ':*. MS. 



VASeo NVNF.^. I)£J BALBOA. 143 

Don Pcdrarias had intended to leave his wife in Spain. Her 
name was Dona Isabella de Bobadilla; she was niece to the 
Marchioness de Moya, a great favourite of the late Queen 
Isabella, who had been instrumental in persuading her royal 
mistress to patronize Columbus.* Her niece partook of her 
high and generous nature. She refused to remain behind in 
selfish security, but ^^lared that she would accompany her 
husband in every peril, whether by sea or land. This self- 
devotion is the more remarkable when it is considered that 
she was past the romantic period of youth ; and that she had a 
family of four sons and four daughters, whom she left behind 
her in Spain. 

Don Pedrarias was instructed to use great indulgence 
towards the people of Darien, who had been the followers of 
Nicuesa, and to remit the royal tithe of all the gold they might 
have collected previous to his arrival. Towards Vasco Nunez 
de Balboa alone the royal countenance was stern and severe. 
Pedrarias was to depose him from his assumed authority, and 
to call him to strict account before the Alcalde Mayor, Gaspar 
de Espinosa, for his treatment of the Bachelor Enciso. 

The splendid fleet, consisting of fifteen sail, weighed anchor 
at St. Lucar on the 12th of April, 1514, and swept proudly out 
of the Guadalquiver, thronged with the chivalrous adventurers 
for Golden Castile. But a short time had elapsed after its 
departure, when Pedro Arbolancho arrived with the tardy 
missions of Vasco Nuiiez. Had he arrived a few days sooner, 
how different might have been the fortunes of his friend ! 

He was immediately admitted to the royal presence, where 
he announced the adventurous and successful expedition of 
Vasco Nuiiez, and laid before the king the pearls and golden 
ornaments which he had brought as the first fruits of the dis- 
covery. King Ferdinand listened with charmed attention to 
this tale of unknown seas and wealthy realms added to his 
empire. It filled, in fact, the imaginations of the most sage 
and learned with golden dreams, and anticipations of un- 
bounded riches. Old Peter Martyr, who received letters 
fi'om his friends in Darien, and communicated by word of 
mouth with those who came from thence, writes to Leo the 
Tenth in exulting terms of this event. "Spain," says he, 



* This was the same Marchiouess de Moya, who during the war of Granada, 
while the court and royal aruiy were encamped before Malaga, was mistaken for 
the queen by a Moorish fanatic, and had nearly fallen beneath his dagger. 



144 SPANlS/I VOYAGm OF DlSVOVfJirf: 

'*wiU hereafter be al)le to satisfy with pearl;? the j^reedj- 
appetite of such as in wanton pleasures ai-e like unto Cleo- 
patra an<l >^]sopiis; so that henceforth we shull ncMtliei' envy 
nor r<»vei-enf*e the nice fruitfnlness of Tra})ohan or the Red 
Sea, The Spaniards will not need hereafter to mine and dig- 
far into the earth, nor to cut asunder mountains in quest of 
gold, but will find it plentifully, in a manner, on the upper 
crust of the earth, or in the sands of riv(>rs dried up by the 
heats of summer. Certainly the reverend antiquity obtained 
not so great a benefit of nature, nor even aspired to the know 
ledge thereof, since never man before, from the known world, 
penetrated to these unknown regions." '■^'■ 

The tidings of this discovery at once made all Spain resound 
with the praises of Vasco Nunez ; and from being considered a 
lawless and despei*ate adventiu-er, he was lauded to the skies 
as a worthy successor to Columbus. The king repented of 
the harshness of his late measures towards him, and ordered 
the Bishop Fonseca to devise some mode of rewarding his 
transcendent services. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

ARRIVAL AND GRAND ENTRY OF DON PEDRARIAS DAVILA INTO 

DARIEN. 

While honours and rewards were preparing in Europe for 
Vasco Nunez, that indefatigable commander, inspired by his 
fortunes, with redoubled zeal and loftier ambition, was exercis- 
ing the paternal forethought and discretion of a patriotic 
governor over the country subjected to his rule. His most 
. strenuous exertions were directed to bring the neighbourhood 
of Darien into such a state of cultivation as might render the 
settlement independent of Europe for supplies. The town was 
situated on the banks of a river, and contained upwards of 
two hundred houses and cabins. Its population amounted to 
five hundred and fifteen Europeans, all men, and fifteen hun- 
dred Indians, male and female. Orchards and gardens had 
been laid out, where European as well as native fruits and 
vegetables were cultivated, and already gave promise of future 



* p. Martyr, decad. 3, chap. iii. Lok's translation. 



VAsiro ^rJ^I^JZ bl'l liAlJiOA. :145 

abiiudancc. Yawco Niiilez; devised all kinds of nieans t(j keep 
up the spirits of his people. On holidays they liad tljeii- 
favourite national sports and games, and pavticidarly tiltijig 
rtiatches, of wln'ch chivalrous amusement the Spaniards in 
those days were extravagantly fond. Sometimes he gratified 
their restless and roving habits by sending them on expedi- 
tions to various parts of the countiy, to acquire a knowledge 
of its resources, and to strengthen his sway over the natives. 
He was so successful in securing the amity ^' exciting the awe 
of the Indian tribes, that a Spaniard might go singly about 
tlie land in perfect safety; while his own followers were 
zealous in their devotion to him, both from admii-ation of his 
past exploits and from hopes of soon being led by him to new 
discoveries and conquests. Peter Martyr, in his letter to Leo 
the Tenth, speaks in high terms of these "old soldiers of 
Darien,'' the remnants of those well-tried adventurers who had 
followed the fortunes of Ojeda, Nicuesa, and Vasco Nunez. 
' ' They were hardened, " says he, ' ' to abide all sorrows, and 
were exceedingly tolerant of labour, heat, hunger, and watch- 
ing, insomuch that they merrily make their boast that they 
have observed a longer and sharper Lent than ever your 
Holiness enjoined, since, for the space of four years, their food 
has been herbs and fruits, with now and then fish, and very 
seldom flesh."* 

Such were the hardy and well-seasoned veterans that were 
imder the sway of Vasco Nuiiez; and the colony gave signs of 
rising in prosperity under his active and fostering manage- 
ment, when in the month of June the fleet of Don Pedrarias 
Davila* arrived in the Gulf of Uraba. 

The Spanish cavaliers who accompanied the new governor 
were eager to get on shore, and to behold the anticipated 
wonders of the land; but Pedrarias, knowing tlie resolute 
character of Vasco Nuiiez, and the devotion of liis followers, 
apprehended some difficulty in getting possession of the colony. 
Anchoring, therefore, about a league and a half from the settle- 
ment, he sent a messenger on shore to anriounce his arrival. 
The envoy, having heard so much in Spain of the prowess and 
exploits of Vasco Nuiiez and the riches of Golden Castile, 
expected, no doubt, to find a blustering warrior, maintaining 
barbaric state in the government which he had usurped. 
Great was his astonishment, therefore, to find this redoubta- 



*P. Martyr, decad. ;^, c. iii. Lojc's translation. 



UCi SPAmSH VOTAGKS OF PrsVOVEItY. 

blc hero a plain, unassuming man, clad in a cotton frc^ck and 
drawers and hempen sandals, directing and aiding the lahour 
of several Indians who were thatching a cottage in which he 
resided. 

The messenger approa<-Jied him respectfully, and announced 
the arrival of Don Pedrarias Davila as governor of the country 
Whatever Vasco Nunez may have felt at this intelligence 
he suppressed his emotions, and answered the messenger with 
great discretion: ''JTellDon Pedrarias Davila, " said he, "that 
he is welcome, that I congratulate him on his safe arrival, and 
am ready, with all who are here, to obey his orders." 

The little community of rough and daring adventurers was 
immediately in an uproar when they found a new governor 
had arrived. Some of the most zealous adherents of Vasco 
Nuiiez were disposed to sally forth, sword in hand, and repel 
the intruder ; but they were restrained by their more consider- 
ate chieftain, who prepared to receive the new governor with 
all due submission. 

Pedrarias disembarked on the thirtieth of June, accom- 
panied by his heroic wife, Doila Isabella; who, according to old 
Peter Martyr, had sustained the roarings and rages of the 
ocean with no less stout courage than either her husband or 
even the mariners who had been brought up among the surges 
of the sea. 

Pedrarias set out for the embryo city at the head of two 
thousand men, all well armed. He led his wife by the hand, 
and on the other side of him was the bishop of Darien in his 
robes; while a brilliant train of youthful cavaliers, in glittering 
armour and brocade, formed a kind of body-guard. , 

All this pomp and splendour formed a striking contrast with 
the humble state of Vasco Nunez, who came forth unarmed, 
in simple attire, accompanied by his councillors and a handful 
of the "old soldiers of Darien," scarred and battered, and" 
grown half wild in Indian warfare, but without weapons, and 
in garments much the worse for wear. 

Vasco Nunez saluted Don Pedrarias Davila with profound 
reverence, and promised him implicit obedience, both in his 
own name and in the name of the community. Having en- 
tered the town, he conducted his distinguished guests to his 
straw-thatched habitation, where he had caused a repast to be 
prepared of such cheer as his means afforded, consisting of 
roots and fruits, maize and casava bread, with no other bever- 
age than water from the river; a sorry palace and a meagr^ 



¥ 



VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. 147 

banquet in the eyes of the gay cavahers, who had anticipated 
far other things from the usurper of Golden Castile. Vasco 
Nuiiez, however, acquitted himself in his humble wigwam 
with the courtesy and hospitality of a prince, and showed that 
the dignity of an entertainment depends more upon the giver 
than the feast. In the meantime a plentiful supply of European 
provisions was landed from the fleet, and a temporary abund- 
ance was diffused through the colony. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

PERFIDIOUS CONDUCT OF DON PEDRARIAS TOWARDS VASCO 

NUNEZ. 

On the day after his entrance into Darien, Don Pedrarias 
held a private conference with Vasco Nunez in presence of the 
historian Oviedo, who had come out from Spain as the public 
notary of the colony. The governor commenced by assuring 
him that he was instructed by the king to treat him with great 
favour and distinction, to consult him about the affairs of the 
colony, and to apply to him for information relative to the 
surrounding country. At the same time he professed the most, 
amicable feelings on his own part, and an intention to be 
guided by his counsels in all public measures. 

Vasco Nuiiez was of a frank, confiding nature, and was so 
captivated by this unexpected courtesy and kindness, that he 
threw off all caution and reserve, and opened his whole soul to 
the politic courtier. Pedrarias availed himself of this com- 
municative mood to draw from him a minute and able state- 
ment in writing, detailing the circumstances of the colony, and 
the information collected respecting various parts of the coun- 
try ; the route by which he had traversed the mountains ; his 
discovery of the South Sea; the situation and reputed wealth 
of the Pearl Islands ; the rivers and ravines most productive of 
gold ; together with the names and territories of the various 
caciques with whom he had made treaties. 

When Pedrarias had thus begTiiled the unsuspecting soldier 
of all the information necessary for his purposes, he dropped 
t/he mask, and within a few days proclaimed a judicial scrutiny 
into the conduct of Vasco Nunez and his office»s. It was to 



148 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

be conducted by the Licentiate Gaspar de Espinosa, who had 
come out as Alcalde Mayor, or chief judge. The Licentiate was 
an inexperienced lawyer, having but recently left the univer- 
sity of Salamanca. He appears to have been somewhat flexi- 
ble in his opinions, and prone to be guided or governed by 
others. At the outset of his career he was much under the 
influence of Quevedo, the Bishop of Darien. Now, as Vasco 
Nuiiez knew the importance of this prelate in the colony, he 
had taken care to secure him to his interests by paying him 
tlie most profound deference and i-espect, and by giving him a 
share in his agricultural enterprises and his schemes of traffic. 
In fact, the good bishop looked upon him as one eminently cal- 
culated to promote his temporal prosperity, to which he was 
by no means insensible. Under the influence of the prelate, 
therefore, the Alcalde conmienced his investigation in the most 
favourable manner. He went largely into an examination 
of the discoveries of Vasco Nuiiez, and of the nature and 
extent of his various services. The governor was alarmed at 
the course which the inquiry was taking. If thus conducted, 
it would but serve to illustrate the merits and elevate the repu- 
tation of the man whom it was his interest and intent to ruin. 
To counteract it he immediately set on foot a secret and invid- 
ious course of interrogatories of the followers of Nicuesa and 
Ojeda, to draw from them testimony which might support the 
charge against Vasco Nuiiez of usurpation and tyrannical abuse 
of power. The bishop and the Alcalde received information of 
this inquisition, carried on thus secretly, and without their 
sanction. They remonstrated warmly against it, as an infringe- 
ment of their rights, being coadjutors in the government; and 
they spurned the testimony of the followers of Ojeda and 
Nicuesa, as being dictated and discoloured by ancient enmity. 
Vasco Nuiiez was, therefore, acquitted by them of the crimi- 
nal charges made against him, though he remained involved in 
difficulties from the suits brought against him by individuals, 
for losses and damages occasioned by his measures. 

Pedrarias was incensed at this acquittal, and insisted upon 
the guilt of Vasco Nuiiez, which he pretended to have estab- 
lished to his conviction by his secret mvestigations ; and he 
even deterniined to send him in chains to Spain, to be tried for 
the death of Nicuesa, and for other imputed offences. 

It was not the inclination or the interest of the bishop that 
Vasco Nuiiez should leave the colony ; he thei'efore niimaged 
tp awaken the jealous apprehensions of the goyeruor as to the, 



VASCO NU^EZ I)K BALBOA. 149 

effect of his proposed measure. He intimated that the arrival 
of Vasco Nunez in Spain would be signalized by triumph 
rather than disgrace. By that time his grand discoveries 
would be blazoned to the world, and would atone for all his . 
faults. He would be received with enthusiasm by the nation, 
with favour by the king, and would probably be sent back to 
the colony clothed with new dignity and power. 

Pedrarias was placed in a perplexing dilemma by these sug- 
gestions; his violent proceedings against Vasco Nunez were 
also in some measure restrained by the influence of his wife,. 
Doiia Isabel de Bobadilla, who felt a great respect and sympathy 
for the discoverer. In his perplexity, the wily governor 
adopted a middle course. He resolved to detain Vasco Nunez 
at Darien under a cloud of imputation, which would gradually 
impair his popularity ; while his patience and means would be 
silently consumed by protracted and expensive litigation. In 
the mean time, however, the property which had been seques- 
trated w-as restored to him. 

While Pedrarias treated Vasco Nunez with this severity, he 
failed not to avail himself of the plans of that able commander. 
The first of these was to establish a line of posts across the 
mountains between Darien and the South Sea. It was his 
eager desire to execute this before any order should arrive 
from the king in favour of his predecessor, in order that he 
might have the credit of having colonized the coast, and Vasco 
Nunez merely that of having discovered and visited it.* 
Before he could complete these arrangements, however, 
imlooked-for calamities fell upon the settlement, that for a 
time interrupted every project, and made every one turn his 
thoughts merely to his own security. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

CALAMITIES OF THE SPANISH CAVALIERS AT DARIEX. 

The town of Darien was situated in a deep valley surrounded 
by lofty hills, which, while they kept off the breezes so grate- 
ful in a sultry climate, reflected and concentrated the rays of 
the sun, insomuch that at noontide the heat was insupportable; 

* Oviedo). Ki«t , W^-- P- !^> <-■• 8, 



150 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

the river which passed it was shallow, with a muddy channel 
and bordered by marshes; overhanging forests added to the 
general humidity, and the very soil on which the town was 
built was of such a nature, that on digging to the depth of a 
foot there would ooze forth brackish water.* 

It is not matter of surprise that a situation of this kind, in a 
tropical climate, should be fatal, to the health of Europeans. 
Many of those who had recently arrived were swept off 
speedily; Pedrarias himself fell sick and was removed, with 
most of his people, to a healthier spot on the river Corobari ; 
the malady, however, continued to increase. The provisions 
which had been brought out in the ships had been partly dam- 
aged by the sea, the residue grew scanty, and the people were 
put upon short allowance ; the debHity thus produced increased 
the ravages of the disease; at length the provisions were ex- 
hausted and the horrors of absolute famine ensued. 

Every one was more or less affected by these calamities; 
even the veterans of the colony quailed beneath them; but to 
none were they more fatal than to the crowd of youthful cava- 
hers who had once ghttered so gaily about the streets of 
Seville, and had come out to the new world elated with the 
most sanguine expectations. From the very moment of their 
landing they had been disheartened at the savage scenes 
around them, and disgusted with the squalid life they were 
doomed to lead. They shrunk with disdain from the labours 
with which alone-wealth was to be procured in this land of 
gold and pearls, and were impatient of the humble exertions 
necessary for the maintenance of existence. As the famine 
mcreased, their case became desperate; for they were unable 
to help themselves, and their rank and dignity commanded 
neither deference nor aid at a time when common misery 
made every one selfish. Many of. them, who had mortgaged 
estates m Spain to fit themselves out sumptuously for their 
Italian campaign, now perished for lack of food. Some would 
be seen bartering a robe of crimson silk, or some garment of 
rich brocade, for a pound of Indian bread or European biscuit- 
others sought to satisfy the cra^dngs of hunger with the herbs 
and roots of the field, and one of the principal cavaliers abso- 
lutely expired of hunger in the public streets. 

In this wretched way, and in the short space of one month 
perished seven hundred of the little army of youthful and 



* p. Martyr decad. 3, 



Va scv k ui^'K'Z I) K BA I no A , I f) j 

buoyant spirits who liad embarked with Pedrarias. Tlie 
bodies of some remained for a day or two without sepulture, 
their friends not having sufficient strength to bury them. 
Unable to remedy the evil, Pedrarias gave permission for his 
men to flee from it. A ship-load of starving adventurers 
departed for Cuba, where some of them joined the standard of 
Diego Velasquez, who was colonizing that island ; others made 
their way back to Spain, where they arrived broken in health, 
in spirits, and in fortune. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

FRUITLESS EXPEDITION OF PEDRARIAS. 

The departure of so manj^ hungry mouths was some tem- 
porary relief to the colony; and Pedrarias, having recovered 
from his malady, bestirred himself to send expeditions in vari- 
ous directions for the purpose of foraging the country and 
collecting the treasure. 

These expeditions, however, were entrusted to £is own 
favourites a^id partisans; while Vasco Nuiiez, the man most 
competent to carry them into effect, remained idle and neg- 
lected. A judicial inquiry, tardily carried on, overshadowed 
him, and though it substantiated nothing, served to embarrass 
his actions, to cool his friends, and to give him the air of a 
public delinquent. Indeed, to the other evils of the colony was 
now added that of excessive litigation, arising out of the dis- 
I^utes concerning the government of Yasco Nunez, and which 
increased to such a degree, that according to the report of the 
Alcalde Espinosa, if the law-suits should be divided among the 
people, at least forty would fall to each man's share.* This 
too was in a colony into which the government had com- 
manded that no lawyer should be admitted. 

Wearied and irritated by the check which had been given to 
his favourite enterprises, and confident of the ultimate appro- 
bation of the king, Vasco Nunez now determined to take his 
f oi'tunes in his own hands, and to prosecute in secret his grand 
project of exploring the regions beyond the mountains. For 



* Herrera, decad. '^, 1. i. c. 1. 



]5'2 sPAArsii voYAdhs ()/■■ j)/:>cor/^nr. 

this piiT'pose he privately despatched one Andres Garabiio to 
Cuh'fX to enlist Tiien, and to make the requisite provisions for nu 
expedition across th(3 isthmus, from Nomhre de Dios, and for- 
the founding a colony o)i the shores of the Southern Ocean, 
from whence he proposed to extend his discoveries by sea and 
land. 

While Vasco Nuilez awaited the return of Garabito, he had 
the uKjrtification of beholding various of his colonizing plans 
pursued and marred hy Pedrarias. Among other enterprises, 
the governor despatched his lieutenant-general, Juan de 
Ayora, at the head of four hundred men, to visit the provinces 
of those caciques with whoin Vasco Nuiiez had sojourned and 
made treaties on his expeditioji to the Southern Sea. Ayora 
j)artook of the rash and domineering spirit of Pedrarias, and 
harassed and devastated the countries which be pretended to 
explore. He was received with amity and confidemce by vari- 
ous caciques who had formed treaties with Vasco Nufiez ; but 
he repaid their hospitality with the basest ingratitude, seizing 
upon their property, taking from them their wives and 
daughters, and often torturing them to make them reveal theii' 
hidden or supposed treasures. Among those treated with this 
perfidy, ^we grieve to enumerate the youthful cacique who first 
gave Vasco Nunez infoi-mation of the sea beyond the moun- 
tains. 

The enormities of Ayora and of other captains of Pedrarias 
produced the usual effect ; the natives were roused to desper- 
ate resistance; caciques who had been faithful friends, were 
converted into furious enemies, and the expedition ended in 
disappointment and disaster. 

The adherents of Vasco Nuiiez did not fail to contrast these 
disastrous enterprises with those which had been conducted 
with so much glory and advantage by their favourite com- 
mander ; and their sneers and reproaches had such an effect 
upon the jealous and irritable disposition of Pedrarias, that he 
detcMnined to CT^^ploy their idol in a service that would be 
likely to be attended with defeat and to impair his popularity. 
None seemed more fitting for the purpose than an expedition 
to Dotayba, where he had once already attempted in vain to 
penetrate, and where so many of his followers had fallen vic- 
tims to the stratagems and assaults of the natives. 



VA^CO iS'UMEZ DK BALBOA. 153 



CHAPTER XX. 

SECOND EXPEDITION OF VASCO NUNEZ IN QUEST OF THE GOLD 
TEMPLE OF DOBAYBA. 

The ricli mines of Dobayba and tins treasures of its golden 
temple bad continued to form a favourite theme v/ith the 
Spanish adventurers. It w&s ascertained that Vasco Nuiiez 
had stopped short of the wealthy region on his former expedi- 
tion, and had mistaken a frontier village for the residence of 
the caciq.ue. The enterprise of the temple was therefore still 
to be achieved ; and it w^as solicited by several of the cavaliers 
in the train of Pedrarias with all the chivalious ardour of that 
romantic age. Indeed, common report had invested the enter- 
prise with difficulties and danger sufficient to stimulate the am- 
bition of tlie keenest seeker of adventure. The savages^who 
inhabited that part of the country were coui-ageous and adroit. 
They fought by water as well as by land, forming ambuscades 
with their canoes in the bays and rivers. The country was 
intersected by dreary fens and morasses, infested by all kinds 
of reptiles. Clouds of gnats and musquitoes filled the air; 
there were large bats also, supposed to have tVie baneful prop- 
erties i)f the vampire; ^alligators lurked in the waters, and the 
gloomy recesses of the fens were said to be the dens of dra- 
gons ! ^= 

Besides these objects of terror, both true arkl fabulous, the 
old historian, Peter Martyr,. makes mention of another mon- 
strous animal said to infest this goiden region, and which 
deserves to be cited, as showing the imaginary dangers with 
which the active minds of the discoverers peopled the unex- 
plored wilderness around them. 

According to the tales of the Indians, there had occui red 
shortly before the arrival of the Spaniards a violent tempest, 
or rather hurricane, in the neighbourhood of Dobayba, which 
demolished houses, tore up trees by the roots, and laid waste 
whole forests. When the tempest had subsided, and the af- 
i righted inhabitants ventured to look abroad, they found tliat 
two monsti-ous annuals liad been brought into the country by 
the hurricane. According to their accounts, they were not 



p. JIartyr. 



J 54 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

unlike the ancient harpies, and one being smaller than the 
other was supposed to be its young. They had the faces of 
women, with the claws and wings of eagles, and Avere of such 
prodigious size that the very boughs of the trees on which they 
alighted broke beneath them. They would swoop down and 
carry off a man as a hawk would bear off a chicken, flying 
with him to the tops of the mountains, where they would tear 
him in pieces and devour him. For some time they were the 
scourge and terror of tlie land, until the Indians succeeded in 
killing the old one by stratagem, and hanging her on their long 
spears, bore her through all the towns to assuage the alarm of 
the inhabitants. The younger harpy, says the Indian tradi- 
tion, was never seen afterwards.* 

Such were some of the perils, true and fabulous, with which 
the land of Dobayba w^as said to abound ; and, in fact, the very 
Indians had such a dread of its dark and dismal morasses, 
that in their journeyings they carefully avoided them, prefer- 
ring the circuitous and rugged paths of the mountains. 

Several of the youthful cavaliers, as has been observed, were 
stimulated, rather than deterred, by these dangers, and con- 
tended for the honour of the expedition ; but Pedrarias selected 
his rival for the task, hoping, as has been hinted, that it would 
involve him in disgrace. Vasco Nunez promptly accepted the 
enterprise, for his pride was concerned in its success. Two 
hundred resolute men were given to him for the purpose ; but 
his satisfaction was diminished when he found that Luis Car- 
riUo, an officer of Pedrarias, who had failed in a perilous 
enterprise, was associated with him in the command. 

Few particulars remain to us of the events of this affair. 
They embarked in a fleet of canoes, and, traversing the gulf, 
arrived at the river which flo\red down from the region of 
Dobayba. They Avere not destined, however, to achieve the 
enterprise of the golden temple. As they were proceeding 
rather confidently and unguardedly up the river, they were 
suddenly surprised and surrounded by an immense swarm of 
canoes, filled with armed savages, which darted out from lurk- 
ing places along the shores. Some of the Indians assailed them 
with lances, others with clouds of arrows, while some, plung- 
ing mto the water, endeavoured to overturn their canoes. In 
this way one-half of the Spaniards were killed or drowned. 
Among the number :ell I^uis Carrillo, pierced through the 

*P. Martyr, deckel. 7, c. 10, 



VASCO NUPeZ be BALBOA. 155 

breast by an Indian lance. Vasco Nunez himself was wound- 
ed, and had great difficulty in escaping to the shore with the 
^esidue of his forces. 

The Indians pursued him and kept up a skirmishing attack, 
but he beat them off until the night, when he silently aban- 
doned the shore of the river, and directed his retreat towards 
Darien. It is easier to imagine than to describe the toils and 
dangers and horrors which beset him and the remnant of his 
men, as they traversed rugged mountains or struggled throu^ 
these fearful morasses, of which they had heard such terrific 
tales. At length they succeeded in reaching the settlement of 
Darien. 

The partisans of Pedrarias exulted in seeing Vasco Nunez 
returned thus foiled and wounded, and taunted his adherents 
with their previous boastings. The latter, however, laid all 
the blame upon the unfortunate Carrillo. "Vasco Nunez," 
said they, ' ' had always absolute command in his former enter- 
prises, but in this he has been embarrassed by an associate. 
Had the expedition been confided to him alone, the event had 
been far different." 



CHAPTER XXI. 

LETTERS FROM THE KING IN FAVOUR OF VASCO NUNEZ — ARRIVAL 
OF GARABITO— ARREST OF VASCO NUNEZ. — (151.5.) 

About this time despatches arrived from Spain that promised 
to give a new turn to the fortunes of Vasco Nunez and to the 
general affairs of the colony. They were written after the 
tidings of the discovery of the South Sea, and the subjugation 
of so many important provinces of the Isthmus. In a letter 
addressed to Vasco Nuiiez, the king expressed his high sense 
of his merits and services, and constituted him Adelantado 
of the South Sea, and Governor of the provinces of Panama 
and Coyba, though subordinate to the genei-al command of Pe- 
drarias. A letter was likewise written by the king to Pe- 
drarias, informing him of this appointment, and ordering him 
to consult Vasco Nuiiez on all public affairs of importance. 
This was a humiliating blow to the pride and consequence of 
Pedrarias, but he hoped to parry it. In the mean time, as all 
letters from Spain were first delivered into his hands, he with- 



-ir,(l sPA.^rrsii Voyages OB' DtscdVEnr. 

held that intended foi- Vasco Nuilezj until he should deter- 
mine what course of conduct to adopt. The latter, however, 
iieard of the circumstance, as did liis friend the Bishop of 
Darien, The prelate made loud complaints of this interrup- 
tion of the royal correspondence, which he denounced, even 
from the pulpit, as an outrage upon the rights of the subject, 
and an act of disobedience to the sovereign. 

Upon this the governor called a council of his public officers; 
and, after imparting the contents of his letter, requested their 
opinion as to the propriety of investing Vasco Nuiiez with 
tJie dignities thus granted to hmi. The Alcalde Mayor, Espi- 
nosa, had left the party of the bishop, and was now devoted to 
the governor. He insisted, vehemently, that the offices ought 
in no wise to be given to Yasco Nunez, until the king should 
be informed of the result of the inquest which was still going 
on against him. In this he was warmly supported by the 
treasurer and the accountant. The bishop replied, indig- 
nantly, that it was presumptuous and disloyal in "them to 
dispute the commands of the king, and to interfere with the 
rewards conscientiously given by him to a meritorious subject. 
In tills way, he added, they were defeating, by their pas- 
sions, the gra-teful intentions of their sovereign. The governor 
was o\'jerawed by the honest warmth of the bishop, and pro- 
fessed to accord with him in opinion. The council lasted until 
midnight ; and it was finally agreed that the titles and digni- 
ties should be conferred on Vasco Nuiiez on the following 
day.* 

Pedrarias and his officers reflected, however, that if the 
jurisdiction implied by these titles were absolutely vested in 
Vasco Nuiiez, the government of Darien and Castilla del Oro 
would virtually be reduced to a trifling matter ; they i^solved, 
therefore, to adopt a middle course; to grant him the empty 
titles, but to make him give security not to enter upon the 
actual government of the territories in question, until Pe- 
drarias should give him permission. The bishop and Vasco 
Nuiiez assented to this arrangement ; satisfied, for the present, 
with securing the titles, and trusting to the course of events to 
get dominion over the territories.! 



* Oviedo, part 2, c. 9. MS. Oviedo, the historian, was present at this consultation, 
and says that he wrote down the opinions given on the occasion, v/hich the parties 
signed A\ith their pi-oper hands. 

t Oviedo, part 2, c 9, MS. 



VASaO NUiYEZ BE BAT. HO A. ir)-? 

The new honours of Vasco Nuiiez were now promulgated to 
the world, and he was every where addressed by the title of 
Adelantado. His old friends lifted up their heads with exulta- 
tion, and Tiew adherents flocked to his standard. Parties be- 
gan to form for him and for Pedrarias, for it was deemed im- 
possible they could continue long in harmony. 

The jealousy of the governor was excited by these circum- 
stances ; and he regarded the newly created Adelantado as a 
dangerous rival and an insidious foe. Just at this critical junc- 
ture, Andres Garabito, the agent of Yasco Nunez, arrived on 
the coast in a vessel which he had procured at Cuba, and had 
freighted with arms and ammunition, and seventy resolute 
men, for the secret expedition to the shores of the Pacific 
Ocean. He anchored six leagues from the harbour, and sent 
word privately to Vasco Nuiiez of his arrival. 

Information Avas immediately carried to Pedra.rias, that a 
mysterious vessel, full of armed men, was hovering on the 
coast, and holding secret communication with his rival. The 
suspicious temper of the governor immediately took the alarm. 
He fancied some treasonable plot against his authority; his 
passions mingled with his fears; and, in the first burst of his 
fury, he ordered that Vasco Nunez should be seized and con- 
fined in a wooden cage. The Bishop of Darien interposed in 
time to prevent an indignity which it might have been im- 
possible to expiate. He prevailed upon the passionate gover- 
nor, not merely to retract thje order respecting the cage, but to 
examine the whole matter with coolness and deliberation. The 
result proved that his suspicions had been erroneous ; and that 
the armament had been set on foot without any treasonable in- 
tent. Vasco Nuiiez was therefore set at liberty, after having 
agi-eed to certain precautionary conditions; but he remained 
cast down in spirit and impoverished in fortune, by the har- 
assing measures of Pedrarias. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

EXPEDITION OF MORALES AND PIZARRO TO THE SHORES OF THE 
PACIFIC OCEAN — THEIR VISIT TO THE PEARL ISLANDS — THEIR 
DISASTROUS RETURN ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. 

The Bishop of Darien, encouraged by the success of his in- 
tercession, endeavoured to persuade the governor to go still 



lt)8 8PAmSH VOYAOKS OF msCOVEHY. 

further, and to permit the departure of Vasco Nunez on his ex- 
pedition to the South Sea. The jealousy of Pedrarias, how- 
ever, was too strong to permit him to hsten to such counsel 
He was aware of the importance of the expedition, and was 
anxious that the Pearl Islands should be explored, which 
promised such abundant treasures; but he feared to increase 
the popularity of Vasco Nunez, by adding such an enterprise 
to the number of his achievements. Pedrarias, therefore, set 
on toot an expedition, consisting of sixty men, but gave the 
command to one of his own relations, named Gaspar Morales 
Ihe latter was accompanied by Francisco Pizarro, who had 
already been to those parts in the train of Vasco Nunez and 
who soon rose to importance in the present enterprise bV his 
tierce courage and domineering genius. 

A brief notice of the principal incidents of this expedition is 
all that is necessary for the present narration. 

Morales and Pizarro traversed the mountains of the isth- 
mus by a shorter and more expeditious route than that which 
had been taken by Vasco Nunez, and arrived on the shores of 
me bouth bea at the territories of a cacique named Tutibra by 
whom they Avere amicably entertained. Their great obiect 
was to visit the Pearl Islands: the cacique, however, had but 
four canoes, which wei;e insufficient to contain their whole 
party. One-half of their number, therefore, remained at the 
village of Tutibra under the command of a captain named 
Penalosa; the residue embarked in the canoes with Morales 
and Pizarro. After a stormy and perilous voyage, they landed 

1.1 ''''^fwi"?^"^''''^^''^'' '^^^^'^ they had some skirmish- 
ing with the natives, and thence made their way to the princi- 
pal island of the Archipelago, to which, from the report of its 
great pearl fishery, Vasco Nuiiez had given the name of Isla 

The cacique of this island had long been the terror of the 
neighbouring coasts, invading the main land .vith fleets of 
canoe^, and carrying oft the inhabitants into captivity His 
reception ot the Spamards was worthy of his fame.' ' Four 
^mes did he saiiy forth to defend his territory, and as often 
wa. he repulsed with great slaughter. His warriors were over- 

Tt tW r ^''".1 ^\*^" ^'"-^^"^^ ^^ *^^ Spaniards, and 
atJ W ?>,"''"'''''' ^^^^dhounds. Finding all resistance un- 
availing, the cacique was at length compelled to sue for peace 
His prayers being granted, he received the conquerors mto 
his habitation, wnich was well built, and of immense size 



VA8C0 yUNEZ DK BALBOA. 159 

Here he brought them, as a peace-offering, a basket cuiiously 
wrought, and filled with pearls of great beauty. Among these 
were two of extraordinary size and value. One weighed 
twenty-five cai'ats : the other was of the size of a Muscadine 
pear, weighing upwards of three drachms, and of oriental col- 
our and lustre. The cacique considered himself more than re- 
paid by a present of hatchets, beads, and hawks'-bells : and, on 
the Spaniards smiling at his joy, observed, "These things I 
can turn to useful purpose, but of what value are those pearls 
to me?" 

Finding, however, that these baubles were precious in the 
eyes of the Spaniards, he took Morales and Pizarro to the sum- 
mit of a wooden tower, commanding an unbounded prospect. 
"Behold, before you," said he, "the infinite sea, which ex- 
tends even beyond the sun beams. As to these islands which 
lie to the right and left, they are all subject to my sway. 
They possess but little gold, but the deep places of the sea 
around them are full of pearls. Continue to be my friends, 
and you shall have as many as you desire ; for I value your 
friendship more than pearls, and, as far as in me lies, will 
never forfeit it." 

He then pointed to the main land, where it stretched to- 
wards the east, mountain beyond mountain, until the summit 
of the last faded in the distance, and was scarcely seen above 
the watery horizon. In that direction, he said, there lay a 
vast country of inexhaustible riches, inhabited by a mighty 
nation. He went on to repeat the vague but wonderful ru- 
mours which the Spaniards had frequently heard about the 
great kingdom of Peru. Pizarro listened greedily to his words, 
and while his eye followed the finger of the cacique, as it 
ranged along the line of shadowy coast, his daring mind kin- 
dled with the thought of seeking this golden empire beyond 
the waters.* 

Before leaving the island, the two captains impressed the 
cacique with so great an idea of the power of the king of Cas- 
tile, that he agreed to become his vassal, and to render him an 
annual tribute of one hundred pounds weight of pearls. 

The party having returned in satety to the mainland, though 
to a different place from that where they had embarked, Gas- 
par Morales sent his relation, Bernardo Morales, with ten men 



* Jfeneia, d. 2, 1. i. c. iv. P. Martyr, d. 3, c. x, 



1(50 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY 

in quest of Penalosa and his companions, who had remained in 
the village of Tutibra. 

Unfortunately for the Spaniai'ds, during the absence of the 
commanders, this Penalosa had so exasperated the natives by 
his misconduct, that a conspiracy had been formed by the 
caciques along the coast to massacre the whole of the strangers, 
when the party should return from the islands. 

Bernardo Morales and his companions, on their way in 
quest of Peiialosa, put up for the night in the village of a 
cacique named Chuchama, who was one of the conspiratois. 
They were entertained with pretended hospitality. In the 
dead of the night, however, the house in which they were 
sleeping was wrapped in flames, and most of them were de- 
stroyed. Chuchama then prepared with his confederates to 
attack the main body of the Spaniards who remained with 
Morales and Pizarro, 

Fortunately for the latter, there was among the Indians who 
had accompanied them to the islands a cacique named Chi- 
ruca, who was in secret correspondence with the conspirators. 
Some circumstances in his conduct excited their suspicions; 
they put him to the torture and drew from him a relation of 
the massacre of their companions, and of tlie attack with 
vfhich they were menaced. 

Morales and Pizarro were at first appalled by the over- 
whelming danger which surrounded them. Concealing their 
agitation, however, they compelled Chiruca to send a message 
to each of the coni'ederate caciques, inviting him to a secret 
conference, under pretence of giving him impoitant informa- 
tion. The caciques came at the summons: they were thus 
taken one by one to the number of eighteen, and put in chains. 
Just at this juncture Penalosa arrived with thirty men who 
liad remained with him at Tutibra. Their arrival Avas hailed 
with joy by their comrades, who had given them up for lost. 
Encouraged by this unexpected reinforcement, the Spaniards 
now attacked by surprise the main body of confederate In- 
dians, who, being ignorant of the discovery of their plot, and 
capture of their caciques, were awaiting the return of the lat- 
ter in a state of negligent seciuity. 

Pizarro led the van, and set upon the enemy at daybreak 
Ysdth the old Spanish war-ciy of Santiago ! It was a slaugliter 
rather than a battle, for the Indians were unprepared for re- 
sistance. Before sunrise, seven hundred lay dead upon the 
field. Returning from the massacre, the commanders d^om^d 



VASCO NUNEZ BE BALBOA. 161 

the caciques who were in chains to be torn in pieces by the 
bloodhounds ; nor was even Chiruca spared from this sangui- 
nary sentence. Notwithstanding this bloody revenge, the 
vindictive spirit of the commanders was still unappeased, and 
they set off to surprise the village of a cacique named Biru, 
who dwelt on the eastern side of the Gulf of St. Michael. He 
was famed for valour and for cruelty ; his dwelling was sur- 
rounded by the weapons and other trophies of those whom he 
had vanquished ; and he was said never to give quarter. 

The Spaniards assailed his village before daybreak with fire 
and sword, and made dreadful havoc. Biru escaped from his 
burning habitation, rallied his people, kept up a galling fight 
throughout the greater part of that day, and handled the 
Spaniards so roughly, that, when he drew off at night, they 
did not venture to pursue him, but returned right gladly from 
his territory. According to some of the Spanish writers, the 
kingdom of Peru derived its name from this warlike cacique, 
through a blunder of the early discoverers; the assertion, 
however, is believed to be erroneous. 

The Spanish had pushed their bloody revenge to an extreme, 
and were now doomed to suffer from the recoil. In the fury 
of their passions, they had forgotten that they were but a 
handful of men surrounded by savage nations. Eeturning 
wearied and disheartened from the battle with Biru, they were 
waylaid and assaulted by a host of Indians led on by the son 
of Chiruca. A javelin from his hand pierced one of the 
Spaniards through the breast and came out between the 
shoulders; several others were wounded, and the remainder 
were harassed by a galling fire kept up from among rocks 
and bushes. 

Dismayed at the implacable vengeance they had aroused, the 
Spaniards hastened to abandon these hostile shores and make 
the best of their way back to Darien. The Indians, hoAvever, 
were not to be appeased by the mere departure of the in- 
truders. They followed them perseveringly for seven days, 
hanging on their skirts, and harassing them by continual 
alarms. Morales and Pizarro, seeing the obstinacy of their 
pursuit, endeavoured to gain a march upon them by strata- 
gem. Making large fires as usual one night about the place 
of their encampment, they left them burning to deceive the 
enemy while they made a rapid retreat. Among their num- 
ber was one poor fellow named Velasquez, who was so griev- 
ously wounded that he could not walk. Unable to accompany 



162 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

his countryraen in their flight, and dreading to fall intO the 
merciless hands of the savages, he determined to hang him- 
self, nor could the prayers and even tears of his comrades^ dis- 
suade him from his purpose. 

The stratagem of the Spaniards, however, was unavailing. 
Their retreat was perceived, and at daybreak, to their dismay, 
they found themselves surrounded by three squadrons of sav- 
ages. Unable, in their haggard state, to make head against 
so many foes, they remained drawn up all day on the defen- 
sive, some watching while others reposed. At night they lit 
their fires and again attempted to make a secret retreat. The 
Indians, however, were as usual on their traces, and wounded 
several with arrows. Thus pressed and goaded, the Spaniards 
became desperate, and fought like madmen, rushing upon the 
very darts of the enemy. 

Morales now resorted to an inhuman and fiiiitless expedient 
to retard his pursuers. He caused several Indian prisoners to 
be slain, hoping that their friends would stop to lament over 
them ; but the sight of their mangled bodies only increased the 
fury of the savages and the obstinacy of their pursuit. 

For nine days were the Spaniards hunted in this manner 
about the woods and mountains, the swamps and fens, wander- 
ing they knew not whither, and returning upon their steps, 
until, to their dismay, they found themselves in the very place 
where, several days previously, they had been surrounded by 
the three squadrons. 

Many now began to despair of ever escaping with life from 
this trackless wilderness, thus teeming with deadly foes. It 
was with difficulty their commanders could rally their spirits, 
and encourage them to persevere. Entering a thick forest 
they were again assailed by a band of Indians, but despair and 
fury gave them strength : they fought like wild beasts rather 
than Hke men, and routed the foe with dreadful carnage. 
They had hoped to gain a breathing time by this victory, but a 
new distress attended them. They got entangled in one of 
those deep and dismal marshes which abound on those coasts, 
and in which the wanderer is often drowned or suffocated. 
For a whole day they toiled through brake and bramble, and 
miry fen, mth the water reaching to their girdles. At length 
they extricated themselves from the swamp, and arrived at 
the sea shore. The tide was out, but was about to return, and 
on this coast it rises rapidly to a great height. Fearing to be 
overwhelmed by the rising surf, they hastened to climb a rock 



VASOO NVPeZ be BALBOA, 163 

out of reach of the swelling waters. Here they threw them- 
selves on the earth, panting with fatigue and abandoned to 
despair. A savage wilderness filled with still more savage 
foes, was on one side, on the other the roaring sea. How were 
they to extricate themselves from these surrounding perils? 
While reflecting on their desperate situation, they heard the 
voices of Indians. On looking cautiously round, they beheld 
four canoes entering a neighbouring creek. A party was im- 
mediately despatched who came upon the savages by surprise, 
drove them into the woods, and seized upon the canoes. In 
these frail barks the Spaniards escape<il from their perilous 
neighbourhood, and, traversing the Gulf of St. Michael, landed 
in a less hostile part, from whence they set out a second time 
across the mountains. 

It is needless to recount the other hardships they endured, 
and their further conflicts with the Indians ; suffice it to say, 
after a series of almost incredible sufferings and disasters, 
they at length arrived in a battered and emaciated condition 
at Darien. Throughout all their toils and troubles, however, 
they had managed to preserve a part of the treasure they had 
gained in the islands ; especially the pearls given them by the 
cacique of Isla Eica. These were objects of universal admira- 
tion. One of them was put up at auction, and bought by 
Pedrarias, and was afterwards presented by his wife Doiia 
Isabella de Bobadilla to the Empress, who, in return, gave her 
four thousand ducats.* 

Such was the cupidity of the colonists, that the sight of 
these pearls and the reputed wealth of the islands of the 
Southern Sea, and the kingdoms on its borders, made far 
greater impression on the public mind, than the tale told by 
the adventurers of all the horrors they had passed ; and every 
one was eager to seek these wealthy regions beyond the 
mountains. 

* Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. 2, 1. i. c. 4. 



164 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

UNFORTUNATE ENTERPRISES OF THE OFFICERS OF PEDRARIAS— 
MATRIMONIAL COMPACT BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR AND VASCO 

NUNEZ. 

In narrating the preceding expedition of Morales and Pi- 
zarro, we have been tempted into what may ahnost be deemed 
an episode, though it serves to place in a proper light the lurk- 
ing difficulties and dangers which beset the expeditions of 
Vasco Nuiiez to the same regions, and his superior prudence 
and management in avoiding them. It is not the object of 
this narrative, however, to record the general • events of the 
colony under the administration of Don Pedrarias Davila. 
We refrain, therefore, from detaihng various expeditions set on 
foot by him to explore and subjugate the surrounding country ; 
and which, being ignorantly or rashly conducted, too often 
ended in misfortune and disgrace. One of these was to the 
province of Zenu, where gold was supposed to be taken in the 
rivers in nets ; and where the Bachelor Enciso once undertook 
to invade the sepulchres. A captain named Francisco Be- 
cerra penetrated into this country at the head of one hundred 
and eighty men, well armed and equipped, and provided with 
three pieces of artillery ; but neither the commander nor any 
of his men returned. An Indian boy who accompanied them 
was the only one v/ho escaped, and told the dismal tale of their 
having fallen victims to the assaults and stratagems and 
poisoned arrows of the Indians. 

Another band was defeated by Tubanama, the ferocious ca- 
cique of the mountains, who bore as banners the bloody shirts 
of the Spaniards he had slain in former battles. In fine, the 
colony became so weakened by these repeated losses, and the 
savages so emboldened by success, that the latter beleaguered 
it with their forces, harassed it by assaults and ambuscades, 
and reduced it to great extremity. Such was the alarm in 
Darien, says the Bishop Las Casas, that the people feared to 
be burnt in their houses. They kept a watchful eye upon the 
mountains, the plains, and the very branches of the trees. 
Their imaginations were infected by their fears. If they 
looked toward the land, the long, waving grass of the savan- 
nahs appeared to them to be moving hosts of Indians. If they 
looked towards the sea, they fancied they beheld fleets of 



VASaO NUNEZ BE BALBOA. 165 

canoes in the distance. Pedrarias endeavoured to prevent all 
rumours from abroad that might increase this fevered state of 
alarm ; at the same time he ordered the smelting-house to be 
closed, which was never done but in time of war. This was 
done at the suggestion of the Bishop, who caused prayers to 
be put up, and fasts proclaimed, to avert the impending 
calamities. 

While Pedrarias was harassed and perplexed by these com- 
plicated evils, he was haunted by continual apprehensions of 
the ultimate ascendency of Vasco Nuiiez. He knew him to be 
beloved by the people, and befriended by the Bishop ; and he 
had received proofs that his services were highly appreciated 
by the king. He knew also that representations had been sent 
home by him and his partisans, of the evils and abuses of the 
colony under the present rule, and of the necessity of a more 
active and efficient governor. He dreaded lest these represen- 
tations should ultimately succeed; that he should be under- 
mined in the royal favour, and Vasco Nunez be elevated upon 
his ruins. 

The politic bishop perceived the uneasy state of the gover- 
nor's mind, and endeavoured, by means of his apprehensions, 
to effect that reconciliation which he had sought in vain to 
produce through more generous motives. He represented to 
him that his treatment of Vasco Nuiiez was odious in the eyes 
of the people, and must eventually draw on him the displea- 
sure of his sovereign. "But why persist," added he, "in 
driving a man to become your deadliest enemy, whom you 
may grapple to your side as your firmest friend? You have 
several daughters — give him one in marriage ; you will then 
have for a son-in-law a man of merit and popularity, who is a 
hidalgo by birth, and a favourite of the king. You are ad- 
vanced in life and infirm ; he is in the prime and vigour of his 
days, and possessed of great activity. You can make him 
your lieutenant ; and while you repose from your toils, he can 
carry on the affairs of the colony with spirit and enterprise ; 
and all his achievements will redound to the advancement of 
your family and the splendour of your administration." 

The governor and his lady were won by the eloquence of 
the bishop and readily listened to his suggestions ; and Vasco 
Nunez was but too happy to effect a reconciliation on such 
flattering terms. Written articles were accordingly drawn up 
and exchanged, contracting a marriage between him and the 
eldest daughter of Pedrarias. The young lady was then in 



166 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

Spain, but was to be sent for, and the nuptials were to be cele- 
brated on her arrival at Darien. 

Having thus fulfilled his oifice of peace-maker, and settled, 
as he supposed, all feuds and jealousies on the sure and per- 
manent foundation of family alliance, the worthy bishop de- 
parted shortly afterwards for Spain. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



VASCO NUNEZ TRANSPORTS SHIPS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS TO 
THE PACIFIC OCEAN. — (1516.) 

Behold Vasco Nunez once more in the high career of pros- 
perity ! His most implacable enemy had suddenly been con- 
verted into his dearest friend ; for the governor, now that he 
looked upon him as his son-in-law, loaded him with favours. 
Above all, he authorized him to buil 1 brigantines and make all 
the necessary preparations for his long-desired expedition to 
explore the Southern Ocean. The place appointed for these 
purposes was the port of Careta, situated to the west of 
Darien ; from whence there was supposed to be the most con- 
venient roujbe across the mountains. A town called Ada had 
been founded at this port; and the fortress was already 
serected, of which Lope de Olano was Alcalde; Vasco Nunez 
was now empowered to continue the building of the town. 
Two hundred men were placed "under his command to aid him 
in carrying his plans into execution, and a sum of money was 
advanced to him out of the royal treasury. His supply of 
funds, however, Avas not sufficient ; but he received assistance 
from a private source. There was a notary at Darien, named 
Hernando de Arguello, a man of some consequence in the com- 
munity, and v/ho had been one of the most furious opponents 
of the unfortunate Nicuesa. He had amassed considerable 
property, and now embarked a great part of it in the proposed 
enterprise, on condition, no doubt, of sharing largely in its 
anticipated profits. 

On arriving at Ada, Vasco Nunez set to work to prepare 
the materials of four brigantines that were to be launched into 
the South Sea. The timber was felled on the Atlantic sea- 
board; and was then, with the anchors and rigging, trans- 



VASCO NUNEZ BE BALBOA. 167. 

ported across the lofty riflge of mountains to the opposite- 
shores of the isthmus. Several Spaniards, thirty Negroes, and 
a great number of Indians were employed for the purpose. 
They had no other roads but Indian paths, straggling through 
almost impervious forests, across torrents, and up rugged 
defiles, broken by rocks and precipices. In this way they 
toiled like ants up the mountains, with their ponderous bur- 
thens, urder the scorching rays of a tropical sun. Many of 
the poor Indians sank by the way and perished under this stu- 
pendous task. The Spaniards and Negroes, being of hardier 
constitutions, were better able to cope with the incredible 
hardships to which they were subjected. On the summit of 
the mountains a house had been provided for their temporary 
repose. After remaining here a little time to refresh them- 
selves and gain new strength, they renewed their labours, 
descending the opposite side of the mountains until they 
reached the navigable part of a river, which they called the 
Balsas, and which flowed into the Pacific. 

Much time and trouble and many lives were expended on 
this arduous undertaking, before they had transported to the 
river sufiicient timber for two brigantines ; while the timber 
for the other two, and the rigging and munitions for the whole, 
yet remained to be brought. To add to their difficulties, they 
had scarcely begun to work upon the timber before they dis- 
covered that it was totally useless, being subject to the ravages 
of the worms from having been cut in the vicinity of salt 
water. They were obliged, therefore, to begin anew, and fell 
trees on the border of the river. 

Vasco Nufiez maintained his patience and perseverance, and 
displayed admirable management imder these delays and difii- 
culties. Their supply of food being scanty, he divided his 
people, Spaniards, Negroes, and Indians, into three bands ; one 
was to cut and saw the wood, another to bring the rigging and 
iron-work from Ada, which was twenty-two leagues distant ; 
and the third to forage the neighbouring country for pro- 
visions. 

Scarcely was the timber felled and shaped for use when the 
rains set in, and the river swelled and overflowed its banks so 
suddenly, that the workmen barely escaped with their lives 
by clambering into the trees ; while the wood on which they 
had been working was either buried in sand or slime, or swept 
away by the raging torrent. Famine was soon added to their 
pther distresses. The foraging party was absent and did not 



168 SPA WISH VOYAGES OF DISGOVERY. 

return with food ; and the swelling of the river cut them off 
from that part of the country from whence they obtained their 
supphes. They were reduced, therefore, to such scarcity, as to 
be fain to assuage their hunger with such roots as they could 
gather in the forests. 

In this extremity the Indians bethought themselves of one 
of their rude and simple expedients. Plunging into the river 
they fastened a number of logs together with withes, and con- 
nected them with the opposite bank so as to make a floating 
bridge. On this a party of the Spaniards crossed with great 
diflSculty and peril, from the violence of the current, and the 
flexibility of the bridge, which often sank beneath them until 
the water rose above their girdles. On being safely landed, 
they foraged the neighbourhood, and procured a supply of pro- 
visions sufiicient for the present emergency. 

When the river subsided the workmen again resumed their 
labours; a number of recruits arrived from Ada, bringing 
various supplies, and the business of the enterprise was pressed 
with redoubled ardour, until, at length, after a series of in- 
credible toils and hardships, Vasco Nuiiez had the satisfaction 
to behold two of his brigantines floating on the river Balsas. 
As soon as they could be equipped for sea, he embarked in 
them with as many Spaniards as they could carry ; and, issu- 
ing forth from the river, launched triumphantly Oxi the great 
ocean he had discovered. 

We can readily imagine the exultation of this intrepid ad- 
venturer, and how amply he was repaid for all his sufferings 
when he first spread a sail upon that untra versed ocean and 
felt that the range of an unknown world was open to him. 

There are points in the history of these Spanish discoveries 
of the western hemisphere that make us pause with wonder 
and admiration at the daring spirit of the men who conducted 
them and the appalling difficulties surmounted by their cour- 
age and perseverance. We know few instances, however, 
more striking than this piecemeal transportation across the 
mountains of Darien of the first European ships that ploughed 
the waves of the Pacific ; and we can readily excuse the boast 
of the old Castilian writers when they exclaim ' ' that none but 
Spaniards could ever have conceived or persisted in such an 
undertaking, and no commander in the new world but Vasco 
Nunez could have conducted it to a successful issue. " * 

=*= Herrera, d. 2, 1. ii. c. Jl, 



VASCO NUlSfEZ DE BALBOA. 169 



CHAPTER XXV. 

CRUISE OF VASCO NUNEZ IN THE SOUTHERN SEA— RUMOURS FROM 

ACLA. 

The first cruise of Vasco Nuiiez was to the group of Pearl 
islands, on the principal one of which he disembarked the 
greater part of his crews, and despatched the brigantines to the 
main land to bring off the remainder. It was his intention to 
construct the other two vessels of his proposed squadron at this 
island. During the absence of the brigantines he ranged the 
island with his men to collect provisions and to establish a 
complete sway over the natives. On the return of his vessels, 
and while preparations were making for the building of the 
others, he embarked with a hundred men and departed on a 
reconnoitering cruise to the eastward towards the region 
pointed out by tlie Indians as abounding in riches. 

Having passed about twenty leagues beyond the Gulf of San 
Miguel, the mariners wei'e filled with apprehension at behold- 
ing a great number of whales, which resembled a reef of rocks 
stretching far into the sea and lashed by breakers, In an un- 
known ocean like this every unusual object is apt to inspire 
alarm. The seamen feared to approach these fancied dangers 
in the dark; Vasco Nunez anchored, therefore, for the night 
under a point of land, intending to continue in the same direc- 
tion on the following day. When the morning dawned, how- 
ever, the wind had changed and was contrary ; whereupon he 
altered his course and thus abandoned a cruise, which, if per- 
severed in, might have terminated in the discovery of Peru! 
Steering for the main land, he anchored on that part of the 
coast governed by the cacique Chuchama, who had massacred 
Bernardo Morales and his companions when reposing in his 
village. Here landing with his men, Vasco Nunez came sud- 
denly upon the dwelling of the cacique. The Indians sallied 
forth to defend their homes, but were routed with great loss ; 
and ample vengeance was taken upon them for their outrage 
upon the laws of hospitality. Having thus avenged the death 
of his countrymen, Vasco Nuiiez re-embarked and returned to 
Isla Rica. 

Ho now applied himself dihgently to complete the building 
of his brigantines, despatching men to Ada to bring the neces- 



170 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

'sary stores and rigging across the mountains. While thus 
occupied, a rumour reached him that a new governor named 
Lope de Sosa was coming out from Spain to supersede Pedra- 
rias. Vasco Nuiiez was troubled at these tidings. A new gov- 
ernor would be likely to adopt new measures, or to have new 
favourites. He feared, therefore, that some order might come 
to suspend or embarrass his expedition, or that the command 
(^i. it might be given to another. In his perplexity he held a 
consultation with several of his confidential officers. 

After some debate, it was agreed among them that a trusty 
and intelligent person should be sent as a scout to Ada un- 
der pretence of procuring munitions for the ships. Should 
he find Pedrarias in quiet possession of the government, he 
was to account to him for the delay of the expedition ; to re- 
quest that the time allotted to it might be extended, and to 
request reinforcements and supplies. Should he find, however, 
that a new governor was actually arrived, he was to return 
immediately with the tidings. In such case it was resolved to 
put to sea before any contrary orders could arrive, trusting 
• eventually to excuse themselves on the plea of zeal and good 
intentions. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



^KECONNOITERINO EXPEDITION OF GARABITO — STRATAGEM OP 
PEDRARIAS TO ENTRAP VASCO NUNEZ. 

The person entrusted with the reconnoitering expedition to 
Ada was Andres Garabito, in whose fidelity and discretion 
Vasco Nunex had imphcit confidence. His confidence was 
destined to be fatally deceived. According to the assertions of 
contemporaries, this Garabito cherished a secret and vindic- 
tive enmity against his commander, aiising from a simple but 
a natural cause. Vasco Nuiiez had continued to have a fond- 
ness for the Indian damsel, daughter of the cacique Oareta, 
whom he had received from her father as a pledge of amity. 
Some dispute arose concerning her on one occasion between 
him and Garabito, in the course of which he expressed himself 
in severe and galling language. Garabito was deeply morti- 
fied at some of his expressions, and, being of a mahgnant 
spirit, determined on a dastardly revenge. He wrote pri- 



VASCO NUMEZ be BALBOA. 171 

vately to Pedrarias, assuring him that Vasco Nufiez had no 
intention of solemnizing his marriage with his daughter, heing 
completely under the influence of an Indian paramour; that 
he made use of the friendship of Pedrarias merely to further 
his own selfish views, intending, as soon as his ships were 
ready, to throw off all allegiance, and to put to sea as an inde- 
pendent commander. 

This mischievous letter Garabito had written immediately 
after the last departure of Vasco Nunez from Ada. Its effects 
upon the proud and jealous spirit of the governor may easily 
be conceived. All his former suspicions were inunediately re- 
vived. They acquired strength during a long interval that 
elapsed without tidings being received from the expedition. 
There were designing and prejudiced persons at hand who per- 
ceived and quickened these jealous feelings of the governor. 
Among these was the Bachelor Corral, who cherished a deep 
grudge against Vasco Nunez for having once thrown him into 
prison for his factious conduct ; and Alonzo de la Puente, the 
royal treasurer, whom Vasco Nunez had affronted by demand- 
ing the re-payment of a loan. Such was the tempest that was 
gradually gathering in the factious little colony of Darien. 

The subsequent conduct of Garabito gives much confirma- 
tion to the charge of perfidy that has been advanced against 
him. When he arrived at Ada he found that Pedrarias re- 
mained in possession of the government; for his intended 
successor had died in the very harbour. The conduct and 
conversation of Garabito was such as to arouse suspicions ; he 
was arrested, and his papers and letters were sent to Pedra- 
rias. When examined he readily suffered himself to be 
wrought upon by threats of punishment and promises of 
pardon, and revealed all that he knew, and declared still more 
that he suspected and surmised, of the plans and intentions of 
Vasco Nunez. 

The arrest of Garabito, and the seizure of his letters, pro- 
duced a great agitation at Darien. It was considered a revival 
of the ancient animosity between the governor and Vasco 
Nufiez, and the friends of the latter trembled for his safety. 

Hernando de Arguello, especially, was in great alarm. He 
had embarked the most, of his fortune in the expedition, and 
the failuie of it would be ruinous to him. He wrote to Vasco 
Nunez, informing him of the critical posture of affairs, and 
urging him to imt to sea without delay. He would be pro- 
tected at all events, he said, by the Jeronimite Fathers at Sai^ 



172 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

Domingo, who were at that time all-powerful in the new 
world, and who regarded his expedition as calculated to pro- 
mote the glory of God as well as the dominion of the king.* 
This letter fell*into the hands of Pedrarias, and convinced him 
of the existence of a dangerous plot against his authority. He 
immediately ordered Arguello to be arrested ; and now devised 
means to get Vasco Nunez within his power. While the latter 
remained on the shores of the South Sea with his brigantines 
and his band of hearty and devoted followers, Pedrarias knew 
that it would be in vain to attempt to take him by force. 
Dissembling his suspicions and intentions, therefore, he wrote 
to him in the most amicable terms, requesting him to repair 
immediately to Ada, as he wished to hold a conference with 
him about the impending expedition. Fearing, however, that 
Vasco Nunez might suspect his motives and refuse to comply, 
he, at the same time, ordered Francisco Pizarro to muster all 
the armed force he could collect, and to seek and arrest his 
late patron and commander wherever he might be found. 

So great was the terror inspired by the arrest of Arguello, 
and by the general violence of Pedrarias, that, though Vasco 
Nuiiez wae a favourite with the great mass of the people, no 
one ventured to warn him of the danger that attended his 
return to Ada. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

VASCO NUNEZ AND THE ASTROLOGER— HIS RETURN TO ACLA. 

The old Spanish writers who have treated of the fortunes of 
Vasco Nuiiez, record an anecdote which is worthy of being 
cited, as characteristic of the people and the age. Among the 
motley crowd of adventurers lured across the ocean by the 
reputed wealth and wonders of the new world, was an Itahan 



* In consequence of the eloquent representations made to the Spanish Govern- 
ment by the venerable Las Oasas, of the cruel wrongs and oppressions practised 
upon 'i.he Indians in the colonies, the Cardinal Ximenes, in 1516, sent out three 
Jeronimite Friars, chosen for their zeal and abilities, clothed with full powers to 
inquire into and remedy all abuses, and to take all proper measures for the good 
government, religious instruction, and effectual protection of the natives. The 
exercise of their powers at San Domingo made a great sensation in the new world, 
and, fjra time, had a beneficial effect in checkmg the oppressive and licentious 
conduct of tho ooionists. 



VASCO NUN'EZ BE BALBOA. 173 

astrologer, a native of Venice, named Micer Codro. At the 
time that Vasco Nunez held supreme sway at Darien, this 
reader of the stars had cast his horoscope, and pretended to 
foretell his destiny. Pointing one night to a certain star, he 
assured him that in the year in which he should behold that 
star in a part of the heavens which he designated, his life 
would be in imminent jeopardy; but should he survive this 
year of peril, he would become the richest and most renowned 
captain throughout the Indies. 

Several years, it is added, had elapsed since this prediction 
was made ; yet, that it still dwelt in the mind of Vasco Nunez, 
was evident from the following circumstance. While waiting 
the return of his messenger, Garabito, he was on the shore of 
Isla Eica one serene evening, in company with some of his 
officers, when, regarding the heavens, he beheld the fated star 
exactly in that part of the firmament which had been pointed 
out by the Italian astrologer. Turning to nis companions, 
with a smile, "Behold," said he, "the wisdom of those who 
believe in sooth-sayers, and, above aU, in such an astrologer as 
Micer Codro ! According to his prophecy, I should now be in 
imminent peril of my hfe ; yet, here I am, within reach of all 
my wishes ; sound in health, with four brigantines and three 
hundred men at my command, and on the point of exploring 
this great southern ocean." 

At this fated juncture, say the chroniclers, arrived the 
hypocritical letter of Pedrarias, inviting hira to an interview 
at Ada! The discreet reader wUl decide for himself what 
credit to give to this anecdote, or rather what allowance to 
make for the little traits of coincidence gratuitously added to 
the original fact by writers who delight in the marvellous. 
The tenor of this letter awakened no suspicion in the breast of 
Vasco Nuiiez, who reposed entire confidence in the amity of 
the governor as his intended father-in-law, and appears, to 
have been unconscious of any thing in his own conduct that 
could warrant hostility. Leaving his ships in command of 
Francisco Compaiion, he departed immediately to meet the 
governor at Ada, unattended by any armed force. 

The messengers who had brought the letter maintained at 
first a cautious silence as to the events which had transpired 
at Darien. They were gradually won, however, by the frank 
and genial manners of Vasco Nuiiez, and grieved to see so gal- 
lant a soldier hurrying into the snare. Having crossed the 
mountains and drawn near to Ada, their kind feelings got the 



174 SPAMSE VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

better of their caution, and they revealed the true nature of 
their errand, and the hostile intentions of Pedrarias. Vasco 
Nunez was struck with astonishment at the recital ; but, being 
unconscious, it is said, of any evil intention, he could scarcely 
credit this sudden hostility in a man who had but recently 
promised him his daughter in marriage. He imagined the 
whole to be some groundless jealousy which his own appear- 
ance would dispel, and accordingly continued on his journey. 
He had not proceeded far, however, when he was met by a 
band of armed men, led by Francisco Pizarro. The latter 
stepped forward to arrest his ancient commander. Vasco 
Nunez paused for a moment, and regarded him with a look 
of reproachful astonishment. "How is this, Francisco?" ex- 
claimed he. ''Is this the Avay you have been accustomed to 
receive me?" Offering no further remonstrance, he suffered 
himself quietly to be taken prisoner by his former adherent, 
and conducted in chains to Ada. Here he was thrown into 
prison, and Bartolome Hurtado, once his favourite officer, was 
sent to take command of his squadron. 



CHAPTER XXVni. 

TRIAL OF VASCO NUNEZ. 

Don Pedrarias concealed his exultation at the success of the 
stratagem by which he had ensnared his generous and con- 
fiding rival. He even visited him in prison, and pretended 
deep concern at being obhged to treat him with this tem- 
porary rigour, attributing it entirely to certain accusations 
lodged against him by the Treasurer Alonzo de la Puente, 
which his official situation compelled him to notice and inves- 
tigate. 

" Be not afflicted, however, my son!" said the hypocrite, "an 
investigation will, doubtless, not merely estabUsh your inno- 
cence, but serve to render your zeal and loyalty towards your 
sovereign still more conspicuous." 

While Pedrarias assumed this soothing tone towards his 
prisoner, he urged the Alcalde Mayor Espinosa to proceed 
against him with the utmost rigour of the law. 

The charge brought against him of a treasonable conspiracy 



VASCO NXiMeZ D^ BALBOA. 1'75 

to cast off all allegiance to the crown, and to assume an inde- 
pendent sway on the borders of the Southern Sea, was princi- 
pally supported by the confessions of Andres Garabito. The 
evidence is also cited of a soldier, who stood sentinel one night 
near the quarters of Vasco Nunez on Isla Eica, and who, being 
driven to take shelter from the rain under the eaves of 
the housCj overheard a conversation between that command- 
er and certain of his officers, wherein they agreed to put to 
sea with the squadron on their own account, and to set the 
governor at defiance. This testimony, according to Las Casas, 
arose from a misconstruction on the part of the sentinel, who 
only heard a portion of their conversation, relating to their in- 
tention of sailing without waiting for orders, in case a new gov- 
ernor should arrive to supersede Pedrarias. 

The governor in the mean time informed himself from day to 
day and hour to horn- of the progress of the trial, and, consid- 
ering the evidence sufficiently strong to warrant his personal 
hostffity, he now paid another visit to his prisoner, and, throw- 
ing off all affectation of kindness, upbraided him in the most 
passionate manner. 

"Hitherto," said he, " I have treated you as a son, because I 
thought you loyal to your king, and to me as his representa- 
tive; but as I find you have meditated rebellion against the 
crown of Castile, I cast you off from my affections, and shall 
henceforth treat you as an enemy. " 

Vasco Nunez indignantly repelled the charge, and appealed 
to the confiding frankness of his conduct as a proof of inno- 
cence. "Had I been conscious of my guilt," said he, "what 
could have induced me to come here and put myself into your 
hands? Had I meditated rebellion, what prevented me from 
carrying it into effect? I had four ships ready to weigh anchor, 
three hundred brave men at my conamand, and an open sea 
before me. What had I to do but to spread sail and press for- 
ward? There was no doubt of finding a land, whether rich or 
poor, sufficient for me and mine, far beyond the reach of your 
control. In the innocence of my heart, nowever, I came here 
promptly, at your mere request, and my reward is slander, in- 
dignity, and chains !" 

The noble and ingenuous appeal of Vasco Nunez had no effect 
on the prejudiced feelings of the governor ; on the contrary, he 
was but the more exasperated against his prisoner, and ordered 
that his irons should be doubled. 

The trial was now urged by him with increased eagerness. 



176 SPAmSH VOYAGES OF DISCO VEET. 

Lest the present accusation should not he sufficient to effect 
the ruin of his victim, the old inquest into his conduct as 
governor, which had remained suspended for many years, was 
revived, and he was charged anew with the wrongs inflicted 
on the Bachelor Enciso, and with the death of the unfortunate 
Nicuesa. 

Notwithstanding all these charges, the trial went on slowly, 
with frequent delays ; for the Alcalde Mayor, Gaspar de Espi- 
nosa, seems to have had but little relish for the task assigned 
him, and to have needed frequent spurring from the eager and 
passionate governor. He probably considered the accused as 
technically guilty, though innocent of all intentional rebellion, 
but was ordered to decide according to the strict letter of the 
law. He therefore at length gave a reluctant verdict against 
Vasco Nunez, but recommended him to mercy, on account of 
his great services, or entreated that, at least, he might be per- 
mitted to appeal. "No !" said the unrelenting Pedrarias. " If 
he has merited death, let liim suffer death !" He accordingly 
condemned him to be beheaded. The same sentence was 
passed upon several of his officers who were implicated in his 
alleged conspiracy ; among these was Hernando de Arguello, 
who had written the letter to Vasco Nunilez, informing him of 
the arrest of his messenger, and advising him to put to sea, 
without heeding the hostihty of Pedrarias. As to the perfidi- 
ous informer Garabito, he was pardoned and set at liberty. 

In considering this case, as far as we are enabled, from the 
imperfect testimony that remains on record, we are inclined to 
think it one where passion and self-interest interfered with the 
pure administration of justice. Pedrarias had always consid- 
ered Vasco Nunez as a dangerous rival, and, though his jeal- 
ousy had been for some time lulled by looking on him as an 
intended son-in4aw, it was revived by the suggestion that he 
intended to evade his alliance, and to dispute his authority. 
His exasperated feelings hurried him too far to retreat, and, 
having loaded his prisoner with chains and indignities, his 
death became indispensable to his own security. 

For our own part, we have little doubt that it was the fixed 
intention of Vasco Nunez, after he had once succeeded in 
the arduous undertaking of transporting his ships across the 
mountains, to suffer no capricious order from Pedrarias, or 
any other governor, to defeat the enterprise which he had so 
long meditated, and for which he had so laboriously prepared. 
It is probable he may have expressed such general determinO' 



i 



VASCO NU:^EZ DE BALBOA. I'^y 

tion in the hearing of Garabito and of others of his companions. 
We can find ample excuse for such a resohition in his con- 
sciousness of his own deserts ; his experience of past hindrances 
to his expedition, arising from the jealousy of others ; his feel- 
ing of some degree of authority, from his ofiice of Adelantado ; 
and his knowledge of the favourable disposition and kind 
intentions of his sovereign towards him. We acquit him 
entirely of the senseless idea of rebelling against the crown ; 
and suggest these considerations in palliation of any meditated 
disobedience of Pedrarias, should such a charge be supposed to 
have been substantiated. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

EXECUTION OP VASCO NUNEZ.-— (1517.) 

It was a day of gloom and horror at Ada, when Vasco Nunez 
and his companions were led forth to execution. The populace 
were moved to tears at the unhappy fate of a man whose gal- 
lant deeds had excited their admiration, and whose generous 
qualities had won their hearts. Most of them regarded him as 
the victim of a jealous tyrant ; and even those who thought 
him guilty, saw something brave and brilliant in the very crime 
imputed to him. Such, however, was the general dread inspired 
by the severe measures of Pedrarias, that no one dared to lift 
up his voice, either in murmur or remonstrance. 

The public crier walked before Vasco Nunez, proclaiming, 
"This is the punishment inflicted by command of the king and 
his Keutenant, Don Pedrarias Davila, on this man, as a traitor 
and an usurper of the territories of the crown." 

When Vasco Nunez heard these words, he exclaimed indig- 
nantly, " It is false ! never did such a crime enter my mind. I 
have ever served my king with truth and loyalty, and sought 
to augment his dominions." 

These words were of no avail in his extremity, but they were 
fully beheved by the populace. 

The execution took place in the pubHc square of Ada ; and 
we are assured by the historian, Oviedo, who was in the colony 
at the time, that the cruel Pedrarias was a secret witness of 
the bloody spectacle, which he contemplated from between th$ 



178 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

reeds of the wall of a house, about twelve paces frora the scaf-* 
fold!* 

Vasco Nunez was the first to suffer death. Having confessed 
himself and partaken of the sacrament, he ascended the scaffold 
with a firm step and a calm and manly demeanour; and lay- 
ing his head upon the block, it was severed in an instant from 
his body. Three of his officers, Valderrabano, Botello, and 
Hernan Muiios, were in like manner brought one by one to the 
block, and the day had nearly expired before the last of them 
was executed. 

One victim still remained. It was Hernan de Arguello, who 
had been condemned as an accompHce, for having written the 
intercepted letter. 

The populace could no longer restrain their feelings. They 
had not dared to intercede for Yasco Nunez, knowing the im- 
placable enmity of Pedrarias ; but they now sought the gover- 
nor, and throwing themselves at his feet, entreated that this 
man might be spared, as he had taken no active part in the 
alleged treason. The dayhght, they said, was at an end, and it 
seemed as if God had hastened the night, to prevent the execu- 
tion. 

The stern heart of Pedrarias was not to be touched. " No," 
said he, "I would sooner die myself than spare one of them." 
The unfortunate Arguello was led to the block. The brief 
tropical twilight was past, and in the gathering gloom of the 
night the operations on the scaffold could not be distinguished. 
The multitude stood listening in breathless silence, until the 
stroke of the executioner told that all was accomphshed. They 
then dispersed to their homes with hearts filled with grief and 
bitterness, and a night of lamentation succeeded to this day of 
horrors. 

The vengeance of Pedrarias was not satisfied with the death 
of his victim ; he confiscated his property and dishonoured his 
remains, causing his head to be placed upon a pole and exposed 
for several days in the public square.! 

Thus perished, in his forty-second year, in the prime and 
vigour of his days and the full career of his glory, one of the 
most illustrious and deserving of the Spanish discoverers— a 
victim to the basest and most perfidious envy. 

How vain are our most confident hopes, our brightest tri- 
umphs! When Vasco Nunez from the mountains of Darien 



* Oviedo, Hist. Ind. p. 2, c. 9, MS. t Oviedo, ubi sup. 



VASCO NV^EZ BE BALBOA. 179 

beheld the Southern Ocean revealed to his gaze, he considered 
its unknown realms at his disposal. When he had launched 
his ships upon its waters, and his sails were m a manner flap- 
ping; in the wind, to bear him in quest of the wealthy empire of 
Peru he scoffed at the prediction of the astrologer, and defied 
the influence of the stars. Behold him interrupted at the very 
moment of his departure; betrayed into the hands of his most 
invidious fioe; the very enterprise that was to have crowned 
him with glory wrested into a crime; and himself hurried to a 
bloody and ignominious grave, at the foot, as % were^ of the 
mountain from whence he had made his discovery ! His fate 
like that of his renowned predecessor, Columbus, proves that 
it is sometimes dangerous even to discern too greatly! 



180 SPANISH rOTAOEa OF DISCOVBBT. 



THE FORTUNES OF VALDIVIA AND HIS COM- 
PANIONS. 



It was m the year 1512 that Valdlvia, the regidor of Darien 
was sent to Hispamola by Vasco Nu5ez de Balboa for rein- 
torcements and supplies for the colony. He set sail in a cara- 
2ht^f t?"?T , rr^'^''^'' prosperously until he arrived in 
Z nf 1. f^f u°^ ■^^'"^'•=^- H'^^'' ^^ "^^ encountered by 
dw™ *''^r°^f * hurricanes which sweep those latitudes, and 
driven on the shoals and sunken rocks called the Vipers since 
infamous for many a shipwreck. His vessel soon w;5nt to 
pieces and Valdivia and his crew, consisting of twentv men 
escaped with dilficulty in the boat, without having time to 
secure a supply either of water or provisions. Having no sails 
and their oars being scarcely iit for use, they were driven 
about for thirteen days, at the mercy of the currents of those 

ZflZl^"^- ■ ^"""f ^i'f ^^^ *'^^''" s^ff-'rings from hunger 
and thu-st were indescribable. Seven of their number perished 
and the rest were nearly famished, when they were stranded 
on the eastern coast of Yucatan, in a province caUed Maya. 
Here they were set upon by the natives, who broke their boat 
in pieces, and carried them off captive to the cacique of the 
province, by whose orders they were mewed up in a kind of 

At first their situation appeared tolerable enough considering 
the horroi^ from which they had escaped. They were closely 
confined, it is true, but they had plenty to eat and drink, and 
soon began to recover flesh and vigour. In a Uttle while, how- 
ever their enjoyment of this good cheer met with a sudden 
cheek, for the unfortunate Valdivia, and four of his companions 
were smgled out by the cacique, on account of their ii^proved 
condition, to be offered up to his idols. The natives of this 
coast in fact were cannibals, devouring the flesh of their enemies 
and of such strangei^ as fell into their hands. The wretched 
Valdivia and his fellow victims, therefore, were sacrificed in 



f 



THE FORTUNES OF VALDIYIA. 181 

the bloody temple of the idol, and their limbs afterwards served 
up at a grand feast held by the cacique and his subjects. 

The horror of the survivors may be more readily imagined 
than described. Their hearts died within them when they 
heard the yells and bowlings of the savages over their victims, 
and the still more horrible revelry of their cannibal jorgies. 
They turned with loathing from the food set so abundantly be- 
fore them, at the idea that it was but intended to fatten them 
for a future banquet. 

Eecovering from the first stupor of alarm, their despair lent 
them additional force. They succeeded in breaking, in the 
night, from the kind of cage in which they were confined, and 
fled to the depths of the forest. Here they wandered about 
forlorn, exposed to all the dangers and miseries of the wilder- 
ness; famishing with hunger, yet dreading to approach the 
haunts of men. At length their sufferings drove them forth 
from the woods into another part of the country, where they 
were again taken captive. The cacique of this province, how- 
ever, was an enemy to the one from whom they had escaped, 
and of less cruel propensities. He spared their lives, and con- 
tented himself with making them slaves, exacting from them 
the severest labour. They had to cut and draw wood, to pro- 
cure water from a distance, and to carry enormous burthens. 
The cacique died soon after their capture, and was succeeded 
by another called Taxmar. He was a chief of some talent and 
sagacity, but he continued the same rigorous treatment of the 
captives. By degrees they sank beneath the hardships of their 
lot, until only two were left; one of them, a sturdy sailor 
named Gonzalo Guerrero, the other a kind of clerical adven- 
turer, named Jeronimo de Aguilar. The sailor had the good 
luck to be transferred to the service of the cacique of the neigh- 
bouring province of Chatemal, by whom he was treated with 
kindness. Being a thorough son of the ocean, seasoned to all 
weathers, and ready for any chance or change, he soon accom- 
modated himself to his new situation, followed the cacique to 
the wars, rose by his hardihood and prowess to be a distin- 
guished warrior, and succeeded in gaining the heart and hand 
of an Indian princess. 

The other survivor, Jeronimo de Aguilar, was of a different 
complexion. He was a native of Ecija in Andalusia, and had 
been brought up to the church and regularly ordained, and 
shortly afterwards had sailed in one of the expeditions to San 
Domingo, from whence he had passed to Darien, 



182 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

He proceeded in a different mode from that adopted by his 
comrade the sailor in his deahngs with the Indians, and in one 
more suited to his opposite caUing. Instead of playing the hero 
among the men and the gaUant among the women, he recoL 
lectM his priestly obligations to humihty and chastity Ac- 
corduigly, he made himself a model of meekness and obedi- 
ence to the cacique and his warriors, while he closed his eyes 
Z.1^\ f ^\^^^ infidel women. Nay, in the latter re- 
spect he reinforced his clerical vows by a solemn promise to 
(rod to resist all temptations of the flesh so he might be deliv- 
e*'ed out of the hands of these Gentiles. 

Such were the opposite measures of the sailor and the saint 
and they appear to have been equally successful. Aguilar by 
his meek obedience to every order, however arbitrary and 
capricious, gradually won the good-will of the cacique and his 
tamily. Taxmar, however, subjected him to many trials be- 
fore he admitted him to his entire confidence. One day when 
the Indians, painted and decorated in warhke style were 
shooting at a mark, a warrior, who had for some time fixed 
his eyes on Aguilar, approached suddenly and seized him by 
the arm^ Thou seest," said he, ^' the certainty of these arch^ 
^IVi^t^ ^""^ at the eye, they hit the eye-if at the mouth, 
they hit the mouth-what wouldst thou think if thou wert to 
be placed instead of the mark and they were to shoot at and 
miss tnee? 

Aguilar secretly trembled lest he should be the -rictim of 
some cruel caprice of the kind. Dissembhng his fears how- 

vr'm:;i'''^r*^'-''"*^"'^°^«^i°"' "lam^ourslave Td 
you may do with me as you please, but you are too wise to 
destroy a slave who is so useful and obedient." His answer 
his humim *^''"^"''' ^^"^ ^^ secretly sent tliis warrior to try 

i.t^T^Ll^'A''\ *'''' r'^'^y Jeronimo was less stern and . 
marL^d bf« , ' 7T^ P''''Pl'^^i"g- The cacique had re- 
Zm!^ ^ ™*'^'*'"Pl«'i discretion with respect to the sex, but 
in Mslv' TTt^- ^^' '^y^"« many petty temptations 
ni.^ h. '^■'i ??iT""^'"'''^''''''^^'*^ the self-denial of a 
samt, he at length determmed to subject him to a fiery ordeal 
He accordingly sent him on a fishing expedition accompanied 
the nthtT tr" «f.!°"'^«''- y^^^ ot age; they were to pass 
w ^f ^ '^ the sea-side, so as to be ready to fish at the first 
dawn of day, and were allowed but one hammock to sleep in 
itwas an embarrassing predicament- not apparently to the 



TBE FOUTtTNES OF tALMYIA. 18B 

Indian beauty, but certainly to the scrupulous Jeronimo. He 
remembered, however, his double vow, and, suspending his 
hammock to two trees, resigned it to his companion; while 
Ughting a fire on the sea-shore, he stretched himself before it 
on the sand. It was, as he acknowledged, a night of fearful 
trial for his sandy couch was cold and cheerless, the hammock 
wLrm and tempting; and the infidel damsel had been in- 
structed to assail him with all manner of blandishments and 
reproaches. His resolution, however, though often shaken 
was never overcome; and the moi-ning dawned upon him still 
faithful to his vow. 

The fishing over, he returned to the residence of the cacique, 
where his companion, being closely questioned made known 
the triumph of his self-denial before all the people. From that 
time forward he was held in great respect ; the cacique espe- 
cially treated him with unlimited confidence, entrustmg to him 
the care not merely of his house, but of his wives during his 
occasional absence. 

Aguilar now felt ambitious of rising to greater consequence 
among the savages, but this he knew was only to be done by 
deeds of arms. He had the example of the sturdy seaman, 
Gonzalo Guerrero, before his eyes, who had become a great 
captain in the province in which he resided. He entreated 
Taxmar, therefore, to entrust him with bow and arrows, buck- 
ler and war-club, and to enroll him among his warriors. The 
cacique comphed. Aguilar soon made hiniself expert at his 
new weapons, signaUzed himself repeatedly m battle and, 
from his superior knowledge of the arts of war, rendered Tax- 
mar such essential service, as to excite the jealousy of some of 
the neighbouring caciques. One of them remonstrated with 
Taxmar for employing a warrior who was of a different rehgion, 
and insisted that AguHar should be sacrificed to their gods. 
"No" replied Taxmar, "I will not make so base a return 
for such signal services; surely the gods of Aguilar must be 
good, since they aid him so effectually in maintammg a just 

''''The cacique was so incensed at this reply that he assembled 
his warriors and marched to make war upon Taxmar. Many 
of the counsellors of the latter urged him to give up the 
stranger who was the cause of this hostility. Taxmar, how- 
ever, rejected their counsel with disdain and prepared for bat- 
tle Aguilar assured him that his faith in the Christian s God 
would be rewarded with victory; he, in fact, concerted a plan 



184 SPAMSM VOTAOm OF DtSCOVERY, 

of battle which was adopted. ConceaHng himself with a 
chosen band of warriors among thickets and herbage, he suf- 
fered the enemy to pass by in making their attack. Taxmar 
and his host pretended to give way at the first onset. The foe 
rushed heedlessly in pursuit; whereupon Aguilar and his am- 
buscade assaulted them in the rear. Taxmar turned upon 
them in front; they were thrown in confusion, routed with 
great slaughter, and many of their chiefs taken prisoners 
This victory gave Taxmar the sway over the land, and 
strengthened Aguilar more than ever in his good graces. 

Several years had elapsed in this manner, when, in 1517 
mtelligence was brought to the province of the arrival on the 
neighbouring coast of great vessels of wonderful construction 
filled with white and bearded men, who fought with thunder 
and hghtmng. It was, in fact, the squadron of Francisco 
Hernandez de Cordova, then on a voyage of discovery. The 
tidings of this strange invasion spread consternation through 
the country, heightened, if we may credit the old Spanish 
writers, by a prophecy current among the savages of these 
parts, and uttered in former times by a priest named Chilam 
Cambal, who foretold that a white and bearded people would 
come from the region of the rising sun, who would overturn 
their idols and subjugate the land. 

The heart of Jeronimo de Aguilar beat quick with hope when 
he heard of European ships a,t hand; he was distant from the 
coast, however, and perceived that he was too closely watched 
by the Indians to have any chance of escape. Dissembling his 
feelings, therefore, he affected to hear of the ships with per- 
fect mdiffeience, and to have no desire to join the strangers 
Ihe ships disappeared from the coast, and he remained dis- 
consolate a* heart, but was regarded with increased confidence 
by the natives. 

His hopes were again revived in the course of a year or two 
by the arrival on the coast of other ships, which were those 
commanded by Juan de Grijalva, who coasted Yucatan in 
1518; Aguilar, however, was again prevented by the jealous 
watchfulness of the Indians from attempting his escape, and 
when this squadron left the coast he considered all chance of 
deliverance at an end. 

Seven years had gone by since his capture, and he had given 
up all hopes of being restored to his country and friends when 
m 1519, there arrived one day at the village three Indians' 
natives of the small island of Cozumel, which lies a few 



TEE FORTUNES OF VALBIVIA. 185 

leagues in the sea, opposite the eastern coast of Yucatan. 
They brought tidings of another visit of white bearded men 
to their shores, and one of them dehvered a letter to Aguilar, 
which, being entirely naked, he had concealed it in the long 
tresses of his hair which were bound round his head. 

Aguilar received the letter with wonder and delight, and 
read it in presence of the cacique and his warriors. It proved 
to be from Hernando Cortez, who was at that time on his 
g-reat expedition, which ended in the conquest of Mexico. He 
had been obliged by stress of weather to anchor at the island 
of Cozumel, where he learned from the natives that several 
white men were detained in captivity among the Indians on 
the neighbouring coast of Yucatan. Finding it hnpossible to 
approach the mainland with his ships, he prevailed upon three 
of the islanders, by means of gifts and promises, to venture 
upon an embassy among their cannibal neighbours, and to 
convey a letter to the captive white men. Two of the smallest 
caravels of the sqiiadron were sent under the command of 
Diego de Ordas, who was ordered to land the three messengers 
at the point of Cotoche, and to wait there eight days for their 
return. 

The letter brought by these envoys informed the Christian 
captives of the force and destination of the squadron of Cortez, 
and of his having sent the caravels to wait for them at the 
point of Cotoche, with a ransom for their deliverance, inviting 
them to hasten and join him at Cozumel. 

The transport of Aguilar on first reading the letter was mod- 
erated when he reflected on the obstacles that might prevent 
him from profiting by this chance of deliverance. He had 
made himself too useful to the cacique to hope that he would 
readily give him his liberty, and he knew the jealous and irri- 
table nature of the savages too well not to fear that even an 
appHcation for leave to depart might draw upon him the 
severest treatment. He endeavoured, therefore, to operate 
upon the cacique through his apprehensions. To this end he 
informed him that the piece of paper which he held in his 
hand brought him a full account of the mighty armament that 
had arrived on the coast. He described the number of the 
ships and various particulars concerning the squadron, all 
which were amply corroborated by the testimony of the mes- 
sengers. The cacique and his warriors were astonished at this 
strange mode, of conveying intelligence from a distance, and 
regarded the letter as something mysterious and supernatural. 



186 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

Aguilar went on to relate the tremendous and superhuman 
powers of the people in these ships, who, armed with thunder 
and Hghtning, wreaked destruction on all who displeased 
them, while they dispensed inestimable gifts and benefits on 
such as proved themselves their friends. He at the same time 
spread before the cacique various presents brought by the 
messengers, as specimens of the blessings to be expected from 
the friendship of the strangers. The intimation was effectual. 
The cacique was filled with awe at the recital of the terrific 
powers of the white men, and his eyes were dazzled by the 
glittering trinkets displayed before him. He entreated Aguilar, 
therefore, to act as his ambassador and mediator, and to 
secure him the amity of the strangers. 

Aguilar saw with transport the prospect of a speedy deliver- 
ance. In this moment of exultation, he bethought himself of 
the only surviving comrade of his past* fortunes, Gonzalo 
Guerrero, and, sending the letter of Cortez to him, invited 
him to accompany him in his escape. The sturdy seaman 
was at this time a great chieftain in his province, and his 
Indian bride had borne him a numerous progeny. His heart, 
however, yearned after his native country, and he might have 
been tempted to leave his honours and dignities, his infidel 
wife and lialf -savage offspring behind him, but an insuperable, 
though somewhat ludicrous, obstacle presented itself to his 
wishes. Having long since given over all expectation of a 
return to civilized life, he had conformed to the customs of 
the country, and had adopted the external signs and decora- 
tions that marked liim as a warrior and a man of rank. His 
face and hands were indelibly painted or tattooed ; his ears 
and lips were slit to .admit huge Indian ornaments, and his 
nose was drawn down almost to his mouth by a massy ring of 
gold, and a dangling jewel. 

Thus curiously garbled and disfigured, the honest seaman 
felt, that however he might be admired in Yucatan, he should 
be apt to have the rabble at his heels in Spain. He made up 
his mind, therefore, to remain a great man among the sav- 
ages, rather than run the risk of being shown as a man- 
monster at home. 

Finding that he declined accompanying him, Jeronimo de 
Aguilar set off for the point of Cotoche, escorted by three 
Indians. The time he had lost in waiting for Guerrero had 
nearly proved fatal to his hopes, for when he arrived at the 
point, the caravels sent by Cortez had departed, though seV" 



THE FORTUNES OF VALDIVIA. 187 

eral crosses of reeds set up in different places gave tokens of 
the recent presence of Christians. 

The only hope that remained, was that the squadron of 
Cortez might yet linger at the opposite island of Cozumel; but 
how was he to get there? While wandering disconsolately along 
the shore, he found a canoe, half buried in sand and water, 
and with one side in a state of decay; with the assistance of 
the Indians he cleaned it, and set it afloat, and on looking 
further he found the stav§ of a hogshead which might serve 
for a paddle. It was a frail embarkation in which to cross an 
arm of the sea, seven leagues wide, but there was no alter- 
native. Prevailing on the Indians to accompany him, he 
launched forth in the canoe and coasted the main land until 
be came to the narrowest part of the strait, where it was but 
four leagues across; here he stood directly for Cozumel, con- 
tending, as well as he was able, with a strong current, and at 
length succeeded in reaching the island. 

He had scarce landed when a party of Spaniards, who had 
been lying in wait, mshed forth from their concealment, sword 
in hand. The three Indians would have fled, but Aguilar re- 
assured them, and, caUing out to the Spaniards in their own 
language, assured them that he was a Christian. Then throw- 
ing himself upon his knees, and raising his eyes, streaming 
with tears, to heaven, he gave thanks to God for having re- 
stored hun to his countrymen. 

The Spaniards gazed at him with astonishment: from his 
language he was evidently a Castilian, but to all appearance 
he was an Indian. He was perfectly naked; wore his hair 
braided round his head in the manner of the country, and his 
complexion was burnt by the sun to a tawny colour. He had 
a bow in his hand, a quiver at his shoulder, and a net-work 
pouch at his side in which he carried his provisions. 

The Spaniards proved to be a reconnoitering party, sent out 
by Cortez to watch the approach of the canoe, which had been 
descried coming from Yucatan. Cortez had given up all hopes 
of being joined by the captives, the caravel having waited the 
allotted time at Cotoche, and returned without news of them. 
He had, in fact, made sail to prosecute his voyage, but fortu- 
nately one of his ships had sprung a leak, which had obliged 
him to return to the island. 

When Jeronimo de Aguilar and his companions arrived in 
presence of Cortez, who was surrounded by his officers, they 
made a profound reverence, squatted on the ground, laid their 



188 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VERT. 

bows and arrows beside them, and touching their right hands, 
wet with spittle, on the ground, rubbed them about the region 
of the heart, such being their sign of the most devoted sub- 
mission. 

Cortez greeted Aguilar with a hearty welcome, and raising 
him from the earth, took from his own person a large yellow 
mantle lined with crimson, and threw it over his shoulders. 
The latter, however, had for so long a time gone entirely 
naked, that even this scanty covering was at first almost in- 
supportable, and he had become so accustomed to the diet of 
the natives, that he found it difficult to reconcile his stomach 
to the meat and drink set before him. 

When he had suflaciently recovered from the agitation of his 
arrival among Christians, Cortez drew from him the particu- 
lars of his story, and found that he was related to one of his 
own friends, the licentiate Marcos de Aguilar. He treated 
him, therefore, with additional kindness and respect, and re- 
tained him about his person to aid him as an interpreter in his 
great Mexican expedition. 

The happiness of Jeronimo de Aguilar at once more being 
restored to his countrymen, was doomed to suffer some alloy 
from the disasters that had happened in his family. Peter 
Martyr records a touching anecdote of the effect that had been 
produced upon his mother by the tidings of his misfortune. A 
vague report had reached her in Spain that her son had fallen 
into the hands of cannibals. All the horrible tales that circu- 
lated in Spain concerning the treatment of these savages to 
their prisoners, rushed to her imagination, and she went dis- 
tracted. Whenever she beheld roasted meat, or flesh upon the 
spit, she would fill the house with her outcries. "Oh, wretched 
mother! oh, most miserable of women!" would she exclaim, 
'' behold the limbs of my murdered son." * 

It is to be hoped that the tidings of his deliverance had a 
favourable effect upon her intellect, and that she Hved to re- 
joice at his after-fortunes. He served Hernando Cortez with 
great courage and ability throughout his Mexican conquests, 
acting sometimes as a soldier, sometimes as interpreter and 
ambassador to the Indians, and, in reward of his fidehty and 
services, was appointed regidor, or civil governor of the city 
of Mexico. 



* p. Martyr, decad. 4, c, 6. 



MICER CODMO, TEE ASTROLOGER. 189 



MICER CODRO, THE ASTROLOGER. 



The fate of the Italian astrologer, Micer Codro, who pre- 
dicted the end of Vasco Nuiiez, is related by the historian 
Oviedo, with some particulars that border upon the marvel- 
ous. It appears that after the death of his patron, he con- 
tinued for several years rambhng about the New World in the 
train of the Spanish discoverers ; but intent upon studying the 
secrets of its natural history, rather than searching after its 
treasures. 

In the course of his wanderings he was once coasting the 
shores of the Southern ocean in a ship commanded by one 
Geronimo de Valenzuela, from whom he received such cruel 
treatment as to cause his death, though what the nature of the 
treatment was, we are not precisely informed. 

Finding his end approaching, the unfortunate astrologer ad- 
dressed Valenzuela in the most solemn manner: "Captain," 
said he, "you have caused my death by your cruelty; I now 
summon you to appear with me, within a year, before the 
judgment seat of God !" 

The captain made a light and scoffing answer, and treated 
his summons with contempt. 

They were then oif the coast of Veragua, near the verdant 
islands of Zebaco, which lie at the entrance of the Gulf of 
Paria. The poor astrologer gazed wistfully with his dying 
eyes upon the green and shady groves, and entreated the pilot 
or mate of the caravel to land hun on one of the islands, that 
he might die in peace. ' ' Micer Codro, " rephed the pilot, ' ' those 
are not islands, but points of land ; there are no islands here- 
about." 

"There are, indeed," replied the astrologer, "two good and 
pleasant islands, well watered, and near to the coast, and 
within them is a great bay with a harbor. Land me, I pray 
you, upon one of these islands, that I may have comfort in my 
dying hour." 



190 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT, 

The pilot, whose rough nature had been touched with pity 
for the condition of the unfortunate astrologer, hstened to his 
prayer, and conveyed him to the shore, where he found the 
opinion he had given of the character of the coast to be cor- 
rect. He laid him on the herbage in the shade, where the poor 
wanderer soon expired. The pilot then dug a grave at the foot 
of a tree, where he buried him with all possible decency, and 
carved a cross on the bark to mark the grave. 

Some time afterwards, Oviedo, the historian, was on the 
island with this very pilot, who showed him the cross on the 
tree, and gave his honest testimony to the good character and 
worthy conduct of Micer Codro. Oviedo, as he regarded the 
nameless grave, passed the eulogium of a scholar upon the 
poor astrologer : " He died," says he, "Uke Phny, in the dis- 
charge of his duties, travelling about the world to explore the 
secrets of nature. " According to his account, the prediction 
of Micer Codro held good with respect to Valenzuela, as it had 
in the case of Vasco Nunez. The captain died within the term 
in which he liad summoned him to appear before the tribunal 
of God.* 

* Vide Oviedo, Hist. Gen. 1. xxxix. c. 2 



JUAN PONCE DE LEON. 191 



JUAN PONCE DE LEON 

CONQUEROR OF PORTO RICO AND DISCOVERER OF FLORIDA. 



CHAPTER I. 



RECONNOITERING EXPEDITION OF JUAN PONCE DE LEON TO THE 
ISLAND OF BORIQUEN. — (1508.) 

Many years had elapsed since the discovery and coloniza- 
tion of Hayti, yet its neighbouring island of Boriquen, or, as 
the Spaniards called it, St. Juan, (since named Porto Rico,) re- 
mained unexplored. It was beautiful to the eye as beheld 
from the sea, having lofty mountains clothed with forest trees 
of prodigious size and magnificent foliage. There were broad 
fertile valleys also, always fresh and green ; for the frequent 
showers and abundant streams in these latitudes, and the ab- 
sence-of all wintry frost, produce a perpetual verdure. Various 
ships had occasionally touched at the island, but their crews 
had never penetrated into the interior. It was evident, how- 
ever, from the number of hamlets and scattered houses, and 
the smoke rising in all directions from among the trees, that it 
was well peopled. The inhabitants still continued to enjoy 
their life of indolence and freedom, unmolested by the ills that 
overwhelmed the neighbouring island of Hayti. The time had 
arrived, however, when they were to share the common lot of 
their fellow savages, and to sink beneath the yoke of the white 
man. 

At the time when Nicholas de Ovando, Governor of Hispani- 
ola, undertook to lay waste the great province of Higuey, 
which lay at the eastern end of Hayti, he sent, as commander 
of part of the troops, a veteran soldier named Juan Ponce de 
Leon. He was a native of Leon, in Spain, and in his boyhood 
had been page to Pedro Nunez de Guzman, Senor of Toral.* 



*I^cas, GarcUaso de, la Vega, Hist. Florida, t. iv, c, 37, 



192 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

From an early age he had been schooled to war, and had served 
in the various campaigns against the Moors of Granada. He 
accompanied Colmnbus in his second voyage in 1493, and was 
afterwards, it is said, one of the partisans of Francisco Roldan, 
in his rebellion against the admiral. Having distinguished him- 
self in various battles with the Indians, and acquired a name 
for sagacity as well as valour, he received a command subor- 
dinate to Juan de Esquibel, in the campaign against Higuey, 
and seconded his chief so valiantly in that sanguinary expedi- 
tion, that after the subjugation of the province he was ap- 
pointed to the command of it, as lieutenant of the Governor of 
Hispaniola. 

Juan Ponce de Leon had all the impatience of quiet life and 
the passion for exploit of a veteran campaigner. He had not 
been long in the tranquil command of his province of Higuey, 
before he began to cast a wistful eye towards the green moun- 
tains of Boriquen. They were directly opposite, and but 
twelve or fourteen leagues distant, so as to be distinctly seen 
in the transparent atmosphere of the tropics. The Indians of 
the two islands frequently visited each ot'her, and in this way 
Juan Ponce received the usual intelligence that the mountains 
he had eyed so wistfully abounded with gold. He readily ob- 
tained permission from Governor Ovando to make an expedi- 
tion to this island, and embarked in the year 1508 in a caravel, 
Avith a few Spaniards and several Indian interpreters and 
guides. 

After an easy voyage he landed on the woody shores of the 
island, near to the residence of the principal cacique, Aguey- 
bana. He found the chieftain seated in patriarchal style under 
the shade of his native groves and surrounded by his family, 
consisting of his mother, step-father, brother, and sister, who 
vied with each other in paying homage to the strangers. Juan 
Ponce, in fact, was received into the bosom of the family, and 
the cacique exchanged names with him, which is the Indian 
pledge of perpetual amity. Juan Ponce also gave Christian 
names to the mother and step-father of the cacique, and would 
fain have baptized them, but they declined the ceremony, 
though they always took a pride in the names thus given 
them. 

In his zeal to gratify his guests the cacique took them to vari- 
ous parts of the island. They found the interior to correspond 
with the external appearance. It was wild and mountainous, 
but magnificently wooded, with deep rich valleys fertilized by 



JUAN PONCE DE LEON. 193 

limpid streams. Juan Ponce requested the cacique to reveal 
to him the riches of the island. The simple Indian showed him 
his most productive fields of Yuca, the groves laden with the 
most delicious fruit, the sweetest and purest fountains, and the 
coolest runs of water. 

Ponce de Leon heeded but little these real blessings, and de- 
manded whether the island produced no gold. Upon this, the 
cacique conducted him to two rivers, the Manatuabon and the 
Zebuco, where the very pebbles seemed richly veined with gold, 
and large grains shone among the sand through the limpid 
water. Some of the largest of these were gathered by the In- 
dians and given to the Spaniards. The quantity thus procured 
confirmed the hopes of Juan Ponce ; and leaving several of his 
companions in the house of the hospitable cacique, he returned 
to Hayti to report the success of his expedition. He presented 
the specimens of gold to the Governor Ovando, who assayed 
them in a crucible. The ore was not so fuie as that of Hispani- 
ola, but as it was supposed to exist in greater quantities, the 
Governor determined on the subjugation of the island, and con- 
fided the enterprise to Juan Ponce de Leon, 



CHAPTER II. 



JUAN PONCE ASPIRES TO THE GOVERNMENT OF PORTO RICO.— 

(1509.) 

The natives of Boriquen were more warlike than those of 
Hispaniola ; being accustomed to the use of arms from the ne- 
cessity of repeUing the frequent invasions of the Caribs. It 
was supposed, therefore, that the conquest of their island 
would be attended with some difficulty, and Juan Ponce de 
Leon made another, as it were a preparatory visit, to make 
himself acquainted with the country, and with the nature and 
resources of the inhabitants. He found the companions, whom 
he had left there on his fosaner visit, in good health and spirits, 
and full of gratitude towards the cacique Agueybana, who had 
treated them with undiminished hospitality. There appeared 
to be no need of violence to win the island from such simple- 
heaiiied and confiding people. Juan Ponce flattered himself 
with the hopes of being appointed to its government by Ovando, 



194 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

and of bringing it peaceably into subjection. After remaining 
some time on the island, he returned to San Domingo to seek 
the desired appointment, but, to his surprise, found the whole 
face of affairs had changed during his absence. 

His patron, the Governor Ovando, had been recalled to 
Spain, and Don Diego Columbus, son of the renowned discov- 
erer, appointed in his place to the command at San Domingo. 
To add to the perplexities of Juan Ponce, a cavaher had already- 
arrived from Spain, empowered by the king to form a settle- 
ment and build a fortress on the island of Porto Rico. His 
name was Christoval de Sotomayor; he was brother to the 
Count of Camina, and had been secretary to Philip I., sur- 
named the Handsome, king of Castile, and father of Charles V. 

Don Diego Columbus was highly displeased with the act of 
the king in granting these powers to Sotomayor, as it had been 
done without his knowledge and consent, and of course in dis- 
regard of his prerogative as viceroy, to be consulted as to all 
appointments made within his jurisdiction. He refused, there- 
fore, to put Sotomayor in possession of the island. He paid as 
little respect to the claims of Juan Ponce de Leon, whom he 
regarded with an ungracious eye as a favourite of his prede^ 
cessor Ovando. To settle the matter effectually, he exerted 
what he considered his official and hereditary privilege, and 
chose officers to suit himself, appointing one Juan Ceron to the 
government of Porto Rico, and Miguel Diaz to serve as his 
lieutenant.* 

Juan Ponce de Leon and his rival candidate, Christoval de 
Sotomayor, bore their disappointment with a good grace. 
Though the command was denied them, they still hoped to im- 
prove their fortunes in the island, and accordingly joined the 
crowd of adventurers that accompanied the newly appointed 
governor. 

New changes soon took place in consequence of the jealousies 
and misunderstandings between King Ferdinand and the admi- 
ral as to points of privilege. The former still seemed disposed to 
maintain the right of making appointments without consulting 
Don Diego, and exerted it in the present instance ; for, when 
Ovando, on his return to Spain, made favourable representation 
of the merits of Juan Ponce de Leon, and set forth his services 



* If the reader has perused the history of Columbus, he may remember the ro- 
mantic adventure of this Miguel Diaz with a female cacique, which led to the dis- 
covery of the gold mines of Haj'na, and the fQunding of the city of San Pomingo, 



JtlAN PONCE DE LEoJ^. I95 

in exploring Porto Rico, the king appointed him governor of 
that island, and signified specifically that Don Diego Columbus 
should not presume to displace him. 



CHAPTER III. 



JUAN PONCE RULES WITH A STRONG HAND— EXASPERATION OF 
THE INDIANS— THEIR EXPERIMENT TO PROVE WHETHER THE 
SPANIARDS WERE MORTAL. 

Juan Ponce de Leon assumed the command of the island 
of Boriquen in the year 1509. Being a fiery, high-handed old 
soldier, his first step was to quarrel with Juan Ceron and 
Miguel Diaz, the ex-governor and his heutenant, and to send 
them prisoners to Spain.* 

He was far more favourable to his late competitor, Christoval 
de Sotomayor. Finding him to be a cavaHer of noble blood 
and high connexions, yet void of pretension, and of most ac- 
commodating temper, he offered to make him his lieutenant, 
and to give him the post of Alcalde Mayor, an offer which was 
very thankfully accepted. 

The pride of rank, however, which follows a man even into 
the wilderness, soon interfered with the quiet of Sotomayor; 
he was ridiculed for descending so much below his birth and 
dignity, as to accept a subaltern situation to a simple gentleman 
in the island which he had originally aspired to govern. He 
could not withstand these sneers, but resigned his appointment, 
and remained in the island as a private individual ; establishing 
himself in a village where ne had a large repartimiento or allot- 
ment of Indians assigned to him by a grant from the king. 

Juan Ponce fixed his seat of government in a town called 
Caparra, which he founded on the northern side of the island, 
about a league from the sea, in a neighbourhood supposed to 
abound in gold. It was in front of the port caUed Rico, which 
subsequently gave its name to the island. The road to the 
town was up a mountain, through a dense forest, and so rugged 
and miry that it was the bane of man and beast. It cost more 
to convey provisions and merchandise up this league of moun- 
tain than it had to bring them from Spain. 

* Herrera, decad. 1, 1. vii, c, 13, 



196 SPANISH Voyages of discovery. 

Juan Ponce, being firmly seated in his government, began to 
carve and portion out the island, to found towns, and to dis- 
tribute the natives into repartimientos, for the purpose of 
exacting their labour. 

The poor Indians soon found the difference between the 
Spaniards as guests, and the Spaniards as masters. They were 
driven to despair by the heavy tasks imposed upon them ; for 
to their free spirits and indolent habits, restraint and labour 
were worse than death. Many of the most hardy and daring 
proposed a general insurrection, and a massacre of their oppres- 
sors ; the great mass, however, were deteiTed by the belief that 
the Spaniards were supernatural beings and could not be killed. 

A shrewd and sceptical cacique named Brayoan determined 
to put their immortaUty to the test. Hearing that a young 
Spaniard named Salzedo was passing through his lands, he 
sent a party of his subjects to escort him, giving them secret 
instructions how they were to act. On coming to a river they 
took Salzedo on their shoulders to carry him across, but when 
in the midst of the stream, they let him fall, and, throwing 
themselves upon him, pressed him under water until he was 
drowned. Then dragging his body to the shore, and still doubt- 
ing his being dead, they wept and howled over him, making a 
thousand apologies for having fallen upon him, and kept him 
so long beneath the surface. 

The cacique Brayoan came to examine the body and pro- 
nounced it lifeless; but the Indians, still fearing it might pos- 
sess lurking immortahty and ultimately revive, kept watch 
over it for three days, until it showed incontestable signs of 
putrefaction. 

Being now convinced that the strangers were mortal men 
like themselves, they readily entered into a general conspiracy 
to destroy them.* 



CHAPTER rV. 

CONSPIRACY OP THE CACIQUES— THE FATE OF SOTOMAYOR. 

The prime mover of the conspiracy among the natives was 
Agueybana, brother and successor to the hospitable cacique of 



* Herrera, decad. 1, 1. viii. c. 13. 



JUAN PONCE DE LEON. 19*7 

the same name, who had first welcomed the Spaniards to the 
island, and who had fortunately closed his eyes in peace, be- 
fore his native groves were made the scenes of violence and 
oppression. The present cacique had fallen within the repar- 
timiento of Don Christoval de Sotomayor, and, though treated 
by that cavalier with kindness, could never reconcile his 
proud spirit to the yoke of vassalage. 

Agueybana held secret councils with his confederate ca- 
ciques, in which they concerted a plan of operations. As the 
Spaniards were scattered about in different places, it was 
agreed that, at a certain time, each cacique should dispatch 
those within his province. In arranging the massacre of 
those within his own domains, Agueybana assigned to one of 
his inferior caciques the task of surprising the village of Soto- 
mayor, giving him 3,000 warriors for the purpose. He was to 
assail the village in the dead of the night, to set fire to the 
houses, and to slaughter all the inhabitants. He proudly, 
however, reserved to himself the honour of killing Don Chris- 
toval with his own hand. 

Don Christoval had an unsuspected friend in the very midst 
of his enemies. Being a cavalier of gallant appearance and 
amiable and courteous manners, he had won the affections of 
an Indian princess, the sister of the cacique Agueybana. She 
had overheard enough of the war-council of her brother and 
his warriors to learn that Sotomayor was in danger. The life 
of her lover was more precious in her eyes than the safety of 
her brother and her tribe; hastening, therefore, to him, she 
told him all that she knew or feared, and warned him to be 
upon his guard. Sotomayor appears to have been of the most 
easy and incautious nature, void of all evil and deceit himself, 
and slow to suspect any thing of the kind in others. He con- 
sidered the apprehension of the princess as dictated by her 
fond anxiety, and neglected to profit by her warning. 

He received, however, about the same time, information 
from a different quarter, tending to the same point. A Span- 
iard, versed in the language and customs of the natives, had 
observed a number gathering together one evening, painted 
and decorated as if for battle. Suspecting some lurking mis- 
chief, he stripped and painted himself in their manner, and, 
favoured by the obscurity of the night, succeeded in mingling 
among them undiscovered. They were assembled round a fire 
performing one of their mystic war-dances, to the chant of an 
Areyto or legendary ballad. The strophes and responses 



198 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

treated of revenge and slaughter, and repeatedly mentioned 
the death of Sotomayor. 

The Spaniard withdrew unperceived, and hastened to ap- 
prise Don Christoval of his danger. The latter still made light 
of these repeated warnings ; revolving them, however, in his 
mind in the stillness of the night, he began to feel some un- 
easiness, and determined to repair in the morning to Juan 
Ponce de Leon, in his strong-hold at Caparra. With his fated 
heedlessness, or temerity, however, he applied to Agueybana 
for Indians to carry liis baggage, and departed slightly armed, 
and accompanied by but three Spaniards, although he had to 
pass through close and lonely forests, where he would be at 
the mercy of any treacherous or lurking foe. 

The cacique watched the departure of his intended victim 
and set out^ shortly afterwards, dogging his steps at a distance 
through the forest, accompanied by a few chosen warriors. 
Agueybana and his party had not proceeded far when they 
met a Spaniard named Juan Gonzalez, who spoke the Indian 
language. They immediately assailed him and wounded him 
in several places. He thiew himself at the feet of the cacique, 
imploring his life in the most abject terms. The chief spared 
him for the moment, being eager to make sure of Don Christo- 
val. He overtook that incautious cavalier in the very heart of 
the woodland, and stealing silently upon him, burst forth sud- 
denly with his warriors from the covert of the thickets, giv- 
ing the fatal war whoop. Before Sotomayor could put himself 
upon his guard a blow from the war club of the cacique felled 
him to the earth, when he was quickly despatched by repeated 
blows. The four Spaniards who accompanied him shared his 
fate, being assailed, not merely by the warriors who had come 
in pursuit of them, but by their own Indian guides. 

When Agueybana had glutted his vengeance on this imfoi- 
tunate cavalier, he returned in quest of Juan Gonzalez. The 
latter, however, had recovered sufficiently from his wounds to 
leave the place where he had been assailed, and, dreading the 
return of the savages, had climbed into a tree and concealed 
himself among the branches. From thence, with trembling 
anxiety he watched his pursuers as they searched all the sur- 
rounding forest for him. Fortunately they did not think of 
looking up into the trees, but, after beating the bushes for 
some time, gave up the search. Though he saw them depart, 
yet he did not venture from his concealment until the night 
had closed: he then descended from the tree and made the 



JUAN POJSCE DE LEON. 199 

best of hi :> way to the residence of certain Spaniards, where 
his wounds were dressed. When this was done he waited not 
to take repose, but repaired by a circuitous route to Oaparra, 
and informed Juan Ponce de Leon of the danger he supposed 
to be still impending over Sotomayor, for he knew not that 
the enemy had accomplished his death. Juan Ponce immedi- 
ately sent out forty men to his relief. They came to tlie scene 
of massacre, where they found the body of the unfortunate 
cavalier, partly buried, but with the feet out of the earth. 

In the mean time the savages had accomplished the destruc- 
tion of the village of Sotomayor. They approached it unper- 
ceived, through the surrounding forest, and entering it in the 
dead of the night, set fire to the straw-thatched houses, and at- 
tacked the Spaniards as they endeavoured to escape from the 
flames. 

Several were slain at the onset, but a brave Spaniard, named 
Diego de Salazar, raUied his countrymen, inspirited them to 
beat off the enemy, and succeeded in conducting the greater 
part of them, though sorely mangled and harassed, to the 
strong-hold of the Governor at Caparra. Scarcely had these 
fugitives gained the fortress, when others came hurrying in 
from all quarters, bringing similar tales of conflagration and 
massacre. For once a general insurrection, so often planned 
in savage life, against the domination of the white men, was 
crowned with success. All the villages founded by the Span- 
iards had been surprised, about a hundred of their inhabit- 
ants destroyed, and the survivors driven to take refuge in a 
beleaguered fortress. 



CHAPTER V. 

WAR OF JUAN PONCE WITH THE CACIQUE AGUEYBANA. 

Juan Ponce de Leon might now almost be considered a gov- 
ernor without territories, and a general ^vithout soldiers. His 
villages were smoking ruins, and his wliole force did not 
amount to a hundred men, several of whom were disabled by 
their wounds. He had an able and implacable foe in Aguey- 
bana, who took the lead of all the other caciques, and even 
sent envoys to the Caribs of the neighbouring islands, entreat- 
ing them to forget all ancient animosities, and to make qpin-; 



300 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

mon cause against these strangers — the deadly enemies of the 
whole Indian race. In the mean time the whole of this wild 
island was in rebellion, and the forests around the fortress of 
Caparra rang with the whoops and yeUs of the savages, the 
blasts of their war conchs, and the stormy roaring of their 
drums. 

Juan Ponce was a staunch and wary old soldier, and not 
easily daunted. He remained grimly ensconced within his 
fortress, from whence he despatched messengers in all haste 
to Hispaniola, imploring immediate assistance. In the mean ' 
time he tasked his wits to divert the enemy and to keep them 
at bay. He divided his little force into three bodies of about 
thirty men each, under the command of Diego Salazar, Miguel 
de Toro, and Luis de Anasco, and sent them out alternately to 
make sudden surprises and assaults, to form ambuscades, and 
to practice the other stratagems of partisan warfare, which he 
had learnt in early life in his campaigns against the Moors of 
Granada. 

One of his most efficient warriors was a dog named Berezillo, 
renowned for courage, strength and sagacity. It is said that 
he could distinguish those of the Indians who were allies, from 
those who were enemies of the Spaniards. To the former he 
was docile and friendly, to the latter fierce and implacable. 
He was the terror of the natives, who were unaccustomed to 
powerful and ferocious animals, and did more service in this 
wild v/arfare than could have been rendered by several 
soldiers. His prowess was so highly appreciated that his 
master received for him the pay-allowance, and share of booty, 
assigned to a cross-bow man, which was the highest stipend 
given.* 

At length the stout old cavalier Juan Ponce was reinforced 
in his strong-hold by troops from Hispaniola, whereupon he 
sallied forth boldly to take revenge upon those who had thus 
held him in a kind of durance. His foe Agueybana was at 
that time encamped in his own territories with more than five 
thousand warriors, but in a negligent, unwatchfnl state, for 
he knew nothing of the reinforcements of the Spaniards, and 



* This famous dog was killed some years afterwards by a poisoned arroAs. as he 
was swimming in the sea in pursuit of a Carib Indian. He left, however, a num- 
erous progeny and a great name behind him ; and his merits and exploits were 
long a favourite theme among the Spanish colonists. He was father to the 
renowned Leoncico, the faithful dog of Va,sco NufSesc, which resembled hini in 
looks ^nd equalled him in prowess. 



supposed Juan Ponce shut up with his handful of men in 
Caparra. The old soldier, therefore, took him completely 
by surprise, and routed him with great slaughter. Indeed, it 
is said the Indians were struck with a kind of panic when 
they saw the Spaniards as numerous as ever, notwithstand- 
ing the number they had massacred. Their belief in their 
immortality revived ; they fancied that those whom they had 
slain had returned to life, and they despaired of victory over 
beings who could thus arise with renovated vigour from the 
grave. 

Various petty actions and skirmishes afterwards took place, 
in which the Indians were defeated. Agueybana, however, 
disdained this petty warfare, and stirred up his countrymen to 
assemble their forces, and by one grand assault to decide the 
fate of themselves and their island. Juan Ponce received 
secret tidings of their intent, and of the place where they were 
assembling. He had at that time barely eighty men at his 
disposal, but then they were cased in steel and proof against 
the weapons of the savages. Without stopping to reflect, the 
high-mettled old cavalier put himself at their head and led 
them through the forest in quest of the foe. 

It was nearly sunset when he came in sight of the Indian 
camp, and the multitude of warriors assembled there made 
him pause, and almost repent of his temerity. He was as 
shrewd, however, as he was hardy and resolute. Ordering 
some of his men in the advance to skirmish with the enemy, 
he hastily threw up a slight fortification with the assistance of 
the rest. When it was finished he withdrew his forces into it 
and ordered them to keep merely on the defensive. The 
Indians made repeated attacks, but were as often repulsed 
with loss. Some of the Spaniards, impatient of this covert 
warfare, would saUy forth in open field with pike and cross- 
bow, but were called back within the fortification by their 
wary commander. 

The cacique Agueybana was enraged at finding his host of 
warriors thus baffled and kept at bay by a mere handful of 
Spaniards. He beheld the night closing in, and feared that in 
the darkness the enemy would escape. Summoning his 
choicest warriors round him, therefore, he led the way in a 
general assault, when, as he approached the fortress, he re- 
ceived a mortal wound from an arquebus and fell dead upon 
the spot. 

The Spaniards were not aware at first of the importance of 



^(y^ .SPASL'^II VOYAGlu^ OF DISCOVEUY, 

the chief whom they had slain. They soon surmised it, how- 
ever, from the confusion that ensued among the enemy, who 
bore off the body with great lamentations, and made no 
further attack. 

The wary Juan Ponce took advantage of the evident distress 
of the foe, to draw off his small forces in the night, happy to 
get out of the terrible jeopardy into which a rash confidence 
had betrayed him. Some of his fiery-spirited officers would 
have kept the field in spite of the overwhelming force of the 
enemy. "No, no," said the shrewd veteran; "it is better to 
protract the war than to risk all upon a single battle." 

While Juan Ponce de Leon was fighting hard to maintain 
his sway over the island, his transient dignity was overturned 
by another power, against which the prowess of the old 
soldier was of no avail. King Ferdinand had repented of the 
step he had iU-advisedly taken, in superceding the governor 
and heutenant governor, appointed by Don Diego Columbus. 
He became convinced, though rather* tardily, that it was an 
infringement of the rights of the admiral, and that policy, as 
well as justice, required him to retract it. When Juan Ceron 
and Miguel Diaz, therefore, came prisoners to Spain, he 
received them graciously, conferred many favors on them to 
atone for their rough ejectment from office, and finally, after 
some time, sent them back, empowered to resume the com- 
mand of the island. They we're ordered, however, on no 
account to manifest rancour or ill-will against Juan Ponce de 
Leon, or to interfere with any property he might hold, either 
in houses, lands or Indians ; but on the contrary, to cultivate 
the most friendly understanding with him. The king also 
wrote to the hardy veteran explaining to him, that this resti- 
tution of Ceron and Diaz had been determined upon in council, 
as a mere act of justice due to them, but was not intended as 
a censure upon his conduct, and that means should be sought 
to indemnify him for the loss of his command. 

By the time the governor and \\w, lieutenant reached the 
island, Juan Ponce had completed its subjugation. The death 
of the island champion, the brave Agueybana, had in fact been 
a death blow to the natives, and shows how much in savage 
warfare, depends upon a single chieftain. They never made 
head of war afterwards ; but, dispersing among their forests 
and mountains, fell gi-adually under the power of the Span- 
i \rds. Their subsequent fate was like that of their neighbours 
01 Hayti. They were employed in the labour of the mines, 



JUAN PONCE BE LEON. 203 

and in other rude toils so repugnant to their nature that they 
sank beneath them, and, in a Httle Avhile, almost all the 
aboriginals disappeared from the island. 



CHAPTER VI. 



JUAN PONCE DE LEON HEARS OP A WONDERFUL COUNTRY AND 
MIRACULOUS FOUNTAIN. 

Juan Ponce DE Leon resigned the command of Porto Rico 
with tolerable grace. The loss of one wild island and wild 
government was of little moment, when there was a new 
world to be shared out, where a bold soldier like himself, with 
sword and buckler, might readily carve out new fortunes for 
himself. Beside, he had now amassed wealth to assist him in 
his plans, and, like many of the early discoverers, his brain 
was teeming with the most romantic enterprises. He had 
conceived the idea that there was yet a third world to be dis- 
covered, and he hoped to be the first to reach its shores, and 
thus to secure a renown equal to that of Columbus. 

While cogitating these things, and considering which way 
he should strike forth in the unexplored regions around him, 
he met with some old Indians who gave him tidings of a 
country which promised, not merely to satisfy the cravings of 
his ambition, but to realize the fondest dreams of the poets. 
They assured him that, far to the north, there existed a land 
abounding in gold and in all manner of delights ; but, above 
all, possessing a river of such wonderful virtue that whoever 
bathed in it would be restored to youth ! They added, that in ' 
times past, before the arrival of the Spaniards, a large party 
of the natives of Cuba had departed northward in search of 
this happy land and this river of life, and, having never 
returned, it was concluded that they were flourishing in 
renovated youth, detained by the pleasures of that enchanting 
country. 

Here was the dream of the alchymist realized ! one had but 
to find this gifted land and revel in the enjoyment of bound- 
less riches and perennial youth! nay, some of the ancient 
Indians declared that it was not necessary to go so far in .quest 
of these rejuyenating waters, for th^-t, in a certain island of 



204 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

the Bahama group, called Bimini, which lay far out in the 
ocean, there was a fountain possessing the same marvellous 
and inestimable quahties. 

Juan Ponce de Leon hstened to these tales with fond credu- 
lity. He was advancing in hfe, and the ordinary term of exis- 
tence seemed insufficient for his mighty plans. Could he but 
plunge into this marvellous fountain or gifted river, and come 
out with his battered, war-worn body restored to the strength 
and freshness and suppleness of youth, and his head still retain- 
ing the wisdom and knowledge of age, what enterprises might 
he not accomphsh in the additional course of vigorous years 
insured to him ! 

It may seem incredible, at the present day, that a man of 
years and experience could yield any faith to a story which 
resembles the wild fiction of an Arabian tale ; but the wonders 
and novelties breaking upon the world in that age of discovery 
almost realized the illusions of fable, and the imaginations of 
the Spanish voyagers had become so heated that they were 
capable of any stretch of creduhty. 

So fuUy persuaded was the worthy old cavalier of the exist- 
ence of the region described to him, that he fitted out three 
ships at his own expense to prosecute the discovery, nor had 
he any difficulty in finding adventurers m abundance ready to 
cruise with him in quest of this fairy-land.* 



* It was not the credulous minds of voyagers and adventurers alone that were 
heated by these Indian traditions and romantic fables. Men of learning and 
eminence were likewise beguiled by them: witness the following extract from the 
second decade of Peter Martyr, addressed to Leo X., then Bishop of Rome: 

•• Among the islands on the north side of Hispaniola there is one about 325 leagues 
distant, as they say which have searched the same, in the which is a continual 
spring of running water, of such marvellous virtue that the water thereof being 
drunk, perhaps with some diet, maketh olde men young again. And here I must 
make protestation to your holiness not to think this to be said lightly or rashly, for 
they have so spread this rumour for a truth throughout all the court, that not only 
all the people, but also many of them whom wisdom or fortune hath divided from 
the common sort, think it to be true: but, if you will ask my opinion herein, I will 
answer that I will not attribute so great power to nature, but that God hath no 
lesse reserved this prerogative to himself than to search the hearts of men," &c,— 
P. Martyr, D. 3. c. 10, Lofc's translatifm. 



JUAN PONCE DE LEON. 205 



CHAPTER VII. 



CRUISE OF JUAN PONCE DE LEON IN SEARCH OF THE FOUNTAIN 
OF YOUTH.— 1512. 

It was on the third of March, 1512, that Juan Ponce sailed 
with his three ships from the Port of St. Germain in the 
island of Porto Rico. He kept for some distance along the 
coast of Hispaniola, and then, stretching away to the north- 
ward, made for the Bahama islands, and soon fell in with the 
first of the group. He was favoured with propitious weather 
and tranquil seas, and ghded smoothly with wind and current 
along that verdant archipelago, visiting one island after 
another, until, on the fourteenth of the month, he arrived at 
Guanahani, or St. Salvador's, where Christopher Columbus 
had first put his foot on the shores of the new world. His 
inquiries for the island of Bimini were all in vain, and as to 
the fountain of youth, he may have drank of every fountain 
and river, and Ifoke of the archipelago, even to the salt pools 
of Turk's island, without being a whit the younger. 

Still he was not discouraged ; but, having repaired his ships, 
he again put to sea and shaped his course to the north-west. 
On Sunday, the 27th of March, he came in sight of what he 
supposed to be an island, but was prevented from landing by 
adverse weather. He continued hovering about it for several 
days, buffeted by the elements, until, in the night of the 
second of April, he succeeded in coming to anchor under the 
land in thirty degrees eight minutes of latitude. The whole 
country was in the fresh bloom of spring; the trees were gay 
with blossoms, and the fields covered with flowers; from 
which circumstance, as well as from having discovered it on 
Palm Sunday, (Pascua Florida,) he gave it the name of 
Florida, which it retains to the present day. The Indian name 
of the country was Cautio.* 

Juan Ponce landed, and took possession of the country in 
the name of the Castilian Sovereigns. He afterwards con- 
tinued for several weeks ranging the coasts of this flowery 
land, and struggling against the gulf-stream and the various 
currents which sweep i(. He doubled Cape Canaveral, and 
reconnoitered the southern and eastern shores without euspect- 



Hervera, Hist. Ind. d. 1. 1. ix. c. 1Q» 



206 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

ing that this was a part of Terra Finna. In aU his attempts to 
explore the country, he met with resolute and implacable 
hostihty on the part of the natives, who appeared to be a fierce 
and warlike race. He was disappointed also in his hopes of 
findmg gold, nor did any of the rivers or fountains which he 
examined possess the rejuvenating virtue. Convinced, there- 
fore, that this was not the promised land of Indian tradition 
he turned his prow homeward on the 14th of June, with the 
intention in the way of making one more attempt to find the 
island of Bimini. 

In the outset of his return he discovered a gi'oup of islets 
abounding with sea-fowl and marine animals. On one of them 
his sailors, in the course of a single night, caught one hundred 
and seventy turtles, and might have taken many more, had 
they been so mchned. They hkewise took fourteen sea wolves 
and killed a vast quantity of pelicans and other birds To this 
group Juan Ponce gave the name of the Tortugas, or turtles 
which they still retain. 

Proceeding in his cruise, he touched at another group of 
islets n^ar the Lucayos, to which he gave the name of La Vieia 
or the Old Woman group, because he found no inhabitant 
there but one old Indian woman.* This ancient sybil he took 
on board his ship to give him information about the labyrinth 
of islands into which he was entering, and perhaps he could not 
have had a more suitable guide in the eccentric quest he was 
making Nobvithstanding her pilotage, however, he was ex- 
ceedmgly baffled and perplexed in his return voyage among 
the Bahama islands, for he was forcing his way as it were 
against the course of nature, and encountering the currents 
which sweep westward along these islands, and the trade-wind 
which accompanies them. For a long time he struggled- with 
all kinds of difficulties and dangers; and was obliged to re- 
mam upwards of a month in one of the islands to repair the 
damages which his ship had suffered in a storm 

Disheartened at length by the perils and trials with which 
nature seemed to have beset the approach to Bimini as to 
some fairy island in romance, he gave up the quest in person, 
and sent m his place a trusty captain, Juan Perez de Ortubia 
who departed m one of the other ships, guided by the ex' 
perienced old woman of the isles, and by another Indian, As 
to Juan Ponce, he made the best of his way back to fprtci 



JVAN PONOE DE LEON. 207 

Rico, where he arrived infinitely poorer in purse and wrinkled 
in brow, by this cruise after inexhaustible riches and perpetual 
youth. 

He had not been long in port when his trusty envoy, Juan 
Perez, likewise arrived. Guided by the sage old woman, he 
had succeeded in finding the long-sought-for Bimini. He de- 
scribed it as being large, verdant, and covered with beautiful 
groves. There were crystal springs and limpid streams in 
abundance, which kept the island in perpetual verdure, but 
none that could restore to an old man the vernal greenness of 
his youth. 

Thus ended the romantic expedition of Juan Ponce de Leon. 
Like many other pursuits of a chimera, it terminated in the 
acquisition of a substantial good. Though he had failed in 
finding the fairy fountain of youth, he had discovered in place 
of it the important country of Florida.* 



CHAPTER VIII. 



EXPEDITION OF JUAN PONCE AGAINST THE CARIBS— HIS DEATH.— 

(1514.) 

Juan Ponce de Leon now repaired to Spain to make a re- 
port of his voyage to King Ferdinand. The hardy old cava- 
Her experienced much raillery from the witlings of the court 
on account of his visionary voyage, though many wise men 
had been as credulous as himself at the outset. The king, 
however, received him with great favour, and conferred on 
him the title of Adelantado of Bimini and Florida, which last 
was as yet considered an island. Permission was also granted 
him to recruit men either in Spain or in the colonies for a set- 



*The belief of the existence, in Florida, of a river like that sought by Juan Ponce, 
was long prevalent among the Indians of Cuba, and the caciques were anxious to 
discover it. That a party of the natives of Cuba once went in search of it. and re- 
mained there, appears to be a fact, as their descendants were afterwards to be 
traced among the people of Florida. Las Casas says, that even in his days, many 
persisted in seeking this . my stery , and some thought that the river was no other 
than that called the Jordan, at the point of St. Helena; without considering that 
the name was given to it by the Spaniards in the year 1520, when they discovered 
tUe land of Chicora. 



§08 SPAJS'LSU VOYAGES OF DiSCOVERf. 

tlement in Florida ; but he deferred entering on his command 
for the present, being probably discouraged and impoverished 
by the losses in his last expedition, or finding a diflSculty in 
enlisting adventurers. At length another enterprise present- 
ed itself. The caribs had by this time become a terror to the 
Spanish inhabitants of many of the islands, making descents 
upon the coasts and carrying off captives, Avho it was supposed 
were doomed to be devoured by these cannibals. So fre- 

" quent were their invasions of the island of Porto Rico, that 
it was feared they would ultimately oblige the Spaniards to 
abandon it. 

At length King Ferdinand, in 1514, ordered that three ships, 
well armed and manned, should be fitted out in Seville, des- 
tined to scour the islands of the Caribs, and to free the' seas 
from those cannibal marauders. The conmiand of the Armada 
was gjiven to Juan Ponce de Leon, from his knowledge in In- 
dian warfare, and his varied and rough experience which had 
mingled in him the soldier with the sailor. He was instructed 
in the first place to assail the Caribs of those islands most con- 
tiguous and dangerous to Porto Pico, and then to make war 
on those of the coast of Terra Fii-ma, in the neighbourhood of 
Carthagena. He was afterwards to take the captaincy of 
Porto Rico, and to attend to the repartimientos or distribu- 
tions of the Indians in conjunction with a person to be ap- 
pointed by Diego Columbus. 

The enterprise suited the soldier-like spirit of Juan Ponce de 
Leon, and the gallant old cavalier set sail full of confidence in 
January, 1515, and steered direct for the Caribbees, with a de- 
termination to give a wholesome castigation to the whole sav- 
age archipelago. Arriving at the island of Guadaloupe, he 
cast anchor, and sent men on shore for wood and water, and 

\ women to wash the clothing of the crews, with a party of sol- 

• diers to mount guard. 

Juan Ponce had not been as wary as usual, or he had to deal 
with savages unusually adroit in warfare. While the people 
were scattered carelessly on shore, the Caribs mshed forth 
froni an ambuscade, killed the greater part of the men, and 
carried off the women to the mountains. 

This blow at the very outset of his vaunted expedition sank 
deep into the heart of Juan Ponce, and put an end to all his 
imhtary excitement. Humbled and mortified, he set saU for 
the island of Porto Rico, where he relinquished all further 
prosecution of the enterprise, under pretext of ill health, and 



JtlAN PONCE JbE LEON. '200 

gave the comraand of the squadron to a captain named Zuniga ; 
but it is surmised that his malady was not so much of the flesh 
as of the spirit. He remained in Porto Eico as governor ; but, 
having grown testy and irritable through vexations and disap- 
pointments, he gave great offence, and caused much contention 
on the island by positive and strong-handed measures, in re- 
spect to the distribution of the Indians. 

He continued for several years in that island, in a state of 
gi'owling repose, until the brilliant exploits of Hernando Cortez, 
which threatened to ecUpse the achievements of all the veteran 
discoverers, roused his dormant spirit. 

Jealous of being cast in the shade in his old days, he deter- 
mined to sally forth on one more expedition. He had heard 
that Florida, which he had discovered, and which he had 
hitherto considered a mere island, was part of Terra Firma, 
possessing vast and unknown regions in its bosom. If so, a 
grand field of enterprise lay before liim, wherein he might 
make discoveries and conquests to rival, if not surpass, the 
far-famed conquest of Mexico. 

Accordingly, in the year 1521 he fitted out two ships at the 
island of Porto Rico, and embarked almost the whole of his 
property in the undertaking. His voyage was toilsome and 
tempestuous, but at length he arrived at the wished-f or land. 
He made a descent upon the coast with a great part of his 
men, but the Indians salhed forth with unusual valour to de- 
fend their shores. A bloody battle ensued, several of the 
Spaniards were slain, and Juan Ponce was wounded by an 
arrow, in the thigh. He was borne on board his ship, and 
finding himself disabled for further action, set sail for Cuba, 
where he arrived ill in body and dejected in heart. 

He was of an age when there is no longer prompt and health- 
ful reaction either mental or corporeal. The irritations of 
hiunihated pride and disappointed hope, exasperated the fever 
of his wound, and he died soon after his arrival at the island. 
" Thus fate," says one of the quaint old Spanish writers, " de- 
lights to reverse the schemes of man. The discoveiy that 
Juan Ponce flattered himself was to lead to a means of per- 
petuating his life, had the ultimate effect of hastening his 
death." 

It may be said, however, that he has at least attained the 
shadow of his desire, since, though disappointed in extending 
the natural term of his existence, his discovery has ensiu'cd a 
lasting duration to his name. 



210, JSPAmsM VOYAGB^'^ OF UtSCOVEUY. 

The following epitaph was inscribed upon his tomb, which 
does justice to the warrior qualities of the stout old cavalier: 

Mole sub hac fortis requiescat ossa Leonis, 
Qui vicit factis nomina mas:na suis. 

It has thus been paraphrased in Spanish by the Licentiate 
Juan de Castellanos. 

Aqueste lugar estrecho 

Es sepulchre del varon, ! 

Que en el nombre fue Leon, 

Y mucho mas en el hecho. 

" in this sepulchre rest the bones of a man, who was a lion 
by name, and still more by nature." 



APPENDIX. 211 



APPENDIX. 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 

[The following narrative was actually commenced, by the author of this work, as 
a letter to a friend, but unexpectedly swelled to its present size. He has been in- 
duced to insert it here from the idea that many will feel the same curiosity to 
know something of the present state of Palos and its inhabitants that led him to 
make the journey.] 

Seville, 1828. 

Since I last wrote to you I have made, what I may term, an 
American Pilgrimage, to visit the little port of Palos in 
Andalusia, where Columbus fitted out his ships, and whence 
he sailed for the discovery of the New World. Need I tell you 
how deeply interesting and gratifying it has been to me? I 
had long meditated this excursion as a kind of pious, and, if I 
may say, filial duty of an American, and my intention was 
quickened when I learnt that many of the edifices mentioned 
in the history of Columbus still remained in nearly the same 
state in which they existed at the time of his sojourn at Palos, 
and that the descendants of the intrepid Pinzons, who aided 
him with ships and money, and sailed with him in the great 
voyage of discovery, still flourished in the neighbourhood. 

The very evening before my departure from Seville on the 
excursion, I heard that there was a young gentleman of the 
Pinzon family studying law in the city. I got introduced to 
him, and found him of most prepossessing appearance and 
manners. He gave me a letter of introduction to his father, 
Don Juan Fernandez Pinzon, resident of Moguer, and the pre- 
sent head of the family. 

As it was in the middle of August, and the weather in- 
tensely hot, I hired a calesa for the journey. This is a two- 
wheeled carriage, resembling a cabriolet; but of the most 
primitive and rude construction; the harness is profusely 
pmamented with brass, and the horse's head decorated with 



212 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT, 

tufts and tassels and dangling bobs of scarlet and yellow 
worsted. I had, for calasero, a tall, long-legged Andalusian, 
in short jacket, little round-crowned hat, breeches decorated 
with buttons from the hip to the knees, and a pair of russet 
leather bottinas or spatter-dashes. He was an active fellow, 
though uncommonly taciturn for an Andalusian, and strode 
along beside his horse, rousing him occasionally to greater 
speed by a loud malediction or a hearty thwack of his cudgel. 

In this style I set off late in the day to avoid the noon-tide 
heat, and after ascending the lofty range of hills that borders 
the great valley of the Guadalquivir, and having a rough ride 
among their heights, I descended about twihght into one of 
those vast, silent, melancholy plains, frequent in Spain, where 
I beheld no other signs of life than a roaming flock of bustards, 
and a distant herd of cattle, guarded by a sohtary herdsman, 
who, with a long pike planted in the earth, stood motionless in 
the midst of the dreary landscape, resembling an Arab of the 
desert. The night had somewhat advanced when we stopped 
to repose for a few hours at a solitary venta or inn, if it might 
so be called, being nothing more than a vast low-roofed stable, 
divided into several compartments for the reception of the 
troops of mules and arrieros (or carriers) who carry on the 
internal trade of Spain. Acconmiodation for the traveller 
there was none—not even for a traveller so easily accom- 
modated as myself. The landlord had no food to give me, and 
as to a bed, he had none but a horse cloth, on which his only 
child, a boy of eight years old, lay naked on the earthen floor. 
Indeed the heat of the weather and the fumes from the stables 
made the interior of the hovel insupportable, so I was fain to 
bivouac on my cloak on the pavement at the door of the venta, 
where on waking after two or three hours of sound sleep, I 
found a contrabandista (or smuggler) snoring beside me, with 
his blunderbuss on his arm. 

I resumed my journey before break of day, and had made 
several leagues by ten o'clock, when we stopped to breakfast 
and to pass the sultry hours of midday in a large village, from 
whence we departed about four o'clock, and, after passing 
through the same kind of solitary country, arrived just after 
sunset at Moguer. This little city (for at present it is a city) is 
situated about a league from Palos, of which place it has gra- 
duaUy absorbed all the respectable inhabitants, and, among 
the number, the whole family c»f the Pinions. 
So remote is this little place from th^ stir and bustle ol 



APPENDIX. 213 

travel, and so destitute of the show and vain-glory of this 
world, that my calesa, as it rattled and jingled along the nar- 
row and ill-paved streets, caused a great sensation; the chil- 
dren shouted and scampered along by its side, admiring its 
splendid trappings of brass and worsted, and gazing with rev- 
erence at the important stranger who came in so gorgeous an 
equipage. 

I drove up to the principal posada, the landlord of which 
was at the door. He was one of the very civilest men in the 
world, and disposed to do every thing in his power to make, 
me comfortable ; there was only one difficulty, he had neither 
bed nor bedroom in his house. In fact, it was a mere venta 
for muleteers, who are accustomed to sleep on the ground with 
their mule-cloths for beds and pack-saddles for pillows. It 
was a hard case, but there was no better posada in the place. 
Few people travel for pleasure or curiosity in these out-of-the- 
way parts of Spain, and those of any note are generally re- 
ceived into private houses. I had travelled sufficiently in 
Spain to find out that a bed, after all, is not an article of indis- 
pensable necessity, and was about to bespeak some quiet 
corner where I might spread my cloak, when, fortunately, the 
landlord's wife came forth. She could not have a more oblig- 
ing disposition than her husband, but then — God bless the 
women!— they always know how to carry their good wishes 
into effect. In a little while a small room about ten feet 
square, that had formed a thoroughfare between the stables 
and a kind of shop or bar-room, was cleared of a variety of 
lumber, and I was assured that a bed should be put up there 
for me. From the consultations I saw my hostess holding 
with some of her neighbour gossips, I fancied the bed was to 
be a kind of piecemeal contribution among them for the credit 
of the house. 

As soon as I could change my dress, I commenced the histori- 
cal researches, which were the object of my journey, and 
inquired for the abode of Don Juan Fernandez Pinzon. My 
obliging landlord himself volunteered to conduct me thither, 
and I set off full of animation at the thoughts of meeting with 
the Lineal representative of one of the coadjutors of Columbus. 

A short walk brought us to the house, which was most re- 
spectable in its appearance, indicating easy if not affluent cir- 
cumstances. The door, as is customary in Spanish villages 
during summer, stood wide open. We entered with the usual 
salutation, or rather summons, "Ave Maria!" A trim Anda- 



214 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

lusian handmaid answered to the call, and, on our mquiring 
for the master of the house, led the way across a httle patio or 
court in the centre of the edifice, cooled by a fountain sur- 
rounded by shrubs and flowers, to a back court or terrace, like- 
wise set out with flowers, where Don Juan Fernandez was 
seated with his family enjoying the serene evening in the open 
air. 

I was much pleased with his appearance. He was a ven 
erable old gentleman, tall and somewhat thin, with fair com- 
plexion and gi'ay hair. He received me with great urbanity, 
and, on reading the letter from his son, appeared struck with 
surprise to find I had come quite to Moguer merely to visit 
the scene of the embarkation of Columbus ; and still more so on 
my telling him that one of my leading objects of curiosity was 
his own family connexion ; for it would seem that the worthy 
cavalier had troubled his head but little about the enterprises 
of his ancestors. 

I now took my seat in the domestic circle and soon felt 
myself quite at home, for there is generally a frankness in 
the hospitality of Spaniards that soon puts a stranger at his 
ease beneath their roof. The wife of Don Fernandez was 
extremely amiable and affable, possessing much of that nat- 
ural aptness for which the Spanish women are remarkable. 
In the course of conversation with them, I learnt that Don 
Juan Fernandez, who is seventy-two years of age, is the eldest 
of five brothers, all of whom are married, have numerous off- 
spring, and lived in Moguer and its vicinity in nearly the 
same condition and rank of life as at the time of the dis- 
covery. This agreed with what I had previously heard re- 
specting the families of the discoverers. Of Columbus no 
lineal and direct descendant exists; his was an exotic stock 
that never took deep and lasting root in the country ; but the 
I'ace of the Pinzons continues to thrive and multiply in its 
native soil. 

While I was yet conversing a gentleman entered, who was 
introduced to me as Don Luis Fernandez Pinzon, the young- 
est of the brothers. He appeared to be between fifty and sixty 
years of age, somewhat robust, with fair complexion and gray 
hair, and a frank and manly deportment. He is the only one 
of the present generation that has followed the ancient pro- 
fession of the family ; having served with great applause as an 
officer of the royal navy, from which lie retired on his mar- 
riage about t"wenty-trsYO years since. He is the one also who 



APPENDtX. 51,^ 

takes the greatest interest and pride in the historical honours 
of his house, carefully preserving all the legends and docu- 
ments of the achievements and distinctions of his family, a 
manuscript volume of which he lent me for my inspection. 

Don Juan now expressed a wish that during my residence 
in Moguer I would make his house my home. I endeavoured 
to excuse myself, alleging that the good people at the posada 
had been at such extraordinary trouble in preparing quarters 
for me that I did not like to disappoint them. The worthy old 
gentleman undertook to arrange all this, and, while supper 
was preparing, we walked together to the posada. I found 
that my obliging host and hostess had indeed exerted them- 
selves to an uncommon degi'ee. An old ricketty table had 
been spread out in a corner of the little room as a bedstead, on 
top of which was propped up a grand cama de luxo, or state 
bed, which appeared to be the admiration of the house. I 
could not for the soul of me appear to undervalue what the 
poor people had prepared with such hearty good-will and con- 
sidered such a triumph of art and luxury ; so I again entreated 
Don Juan -to dispense with my sleeping at his house, promising 
most faithfully to make my meals there while I should stay at 
Mognier, and, as the old gentleman understood my motives for 
declining his invitation and felt a good-humoured sympathy in 
then ., we readily arranged the matter. I returned, therefore, 
with Don Juan to his house and supped with his family. Dur- 
ing the repast a plan was agreed upon for my visit to Palos 
and to the convent La Eabida, in which Don Juan volunteered 
to accompany me and be my guide, and the following day was 
allotted to the expedition. We were to breakfast at a hacienda 
or country-seat which he possessed in the vicinity of Palos in 
the midst of his vineyards, and were to dine fhere on our re- 
turn from the convent. These arrangements being made, we 
parted for the night ; I returned to the posada highly gratified 
with my visit, and slept soundly in the extraordinary bed, 
which, I may almost say, had been invented for my accommo- 
dation. 

On the following morning, bright and early, Don Juan Fer- 
nandez and myself set off in the calesa for Palos. I felt ap- 
prehensive at first, that the kind-hearted old gentleman, in his 
anxiety to oblige, had left his bed at too early an hour, and 
was exposing himself to fatigues unsuited to his age. He 
laughed at the idea, and assured me that he was an early riser, 
and accustomed to all kinds of exercise on horse and foot, 



§16 spAmsU VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

being a keen sportsman, and frequently passing days together 
among the mountains on shooting expeditions, taking with 
him servants, horses, and provisions, and hving in a tent He 
appeared, in fact, to be of an active habit, and to possess a 
youthful vivacity of spirit. His cheerful disposition rendered 
our morning drive extremely agi-eeable; his urbanity was 
shown to every one whom we met on the road; even the com- 
mon peasant was saluted by Mm with the appellation of cuhal- 
lero, a mark of respect ever gratifying to the poor but proud 
bpamard, when yielded by a superior. 

As the tide was out we drove along the flat grounds border- 
ing the Tmto. The river was on our right, while on our left 
was a range of hiUs, jutting out into promontories, one beyond 
the other, and covered with vineyards and lig trees The 
weather was serene, the air was soft and balmy, and the land- 
scape of that gentle kind calculated to put one in a quiet 
and happy humour. We passed close by the skirts of Palos 
and drove to the hacienda, which is situated at some little dis- 
tance from the village, between it and the river. The house is 
a low stone building, well white-washed, and of greal length- 
one end being fitted up as a summer residence, with saloons' 
bed-rooms, and a domestic chapel ; and the other as a bodega or 
magazine for the reception of the wine produced on the estate 
The house stands on a hill, amidst vineyards, which are sup- 
posed to cover a part of the site of the ancient town of Palos 
now shrunk to a miserable village. Beyond these vineyards' 
on the crest of a distant hill, are seen the white walls of the 
convent of La Rabida rising above a dark wood of pine trees 

Below the hacienda flows the river Tinto, on which Colum- 
bus embarked. It is divided by a low tongue of land, or rather 
the sand-bar of Saltes, from the river Odiel, with which it soon 
mingles its waters, and flows on to the ocean. Beside this 
sand-bar, where the channel of the river runs deep, the squad- 
ron of Columbus was anchored, and from hence he made sail 
on the morning of his departure. 

The soft breeze that was blowing scarcely ruffled the surface 
ot this beautiful river; two or three picturesque barks, called 
mysticks, with long latine saUs, were gliding down it. A little 
aid of the imagination might suffice to picture them as the 
light caravels of Columbus, sallying forth on their eventful 
expedition, while the distant bells of the town of Huelva 
which were ringing melodiously, might be supposed as cheef- 
mg the voyagers with a farewell peal. 



APPENDIX. 217 

I cannot express to you what were my feelings on treading 
the shore which had once been animated by the bustle of 
departure, and whose sands had been printed by the last foot- 
step of Columbus. The solemn and sublime nature of the 
event that had followed, together with the fate and fortunes of 
those concerned in it, filled the mind with vague jat melan- 
choly ideas. It was like viewing the silent and empty stage of 
some great drama, when all the actors had departed. The 
very aspect of the landscape, so tranquilly beautiful, had aa 
effect upon me, and as I paced the deserted shore by the side of 
a descendant of one of the discoverers, I felt my heart swelling 
with emotions and my eyes filling with tears. 

What surprised me was to find no semblance of a seaport ; 
there was neither wharf nor landing-place — nothing but a 
naked river bank, with the hulk of a ferry-boat, which I was 
told carried passengers to Huelva, lying high and dry on the 
sands, deserted by the tide. Palos, though it has doubtless 
dwindled away from its former size, can never have been 
important as to extent and population. If it possessed ware- 
houses on the beach, they have disappeared. It is at present a 
mere village of the poorest kind, and lies nearly a quarter of a 
mile from the river, in a hoUow among hills. It contains a 
few hundred inhabitants, who subsist principally by labouring 
in the fields and vineyards. Its race of merchants and marin- 
ers are extinct. There are no vessels belonging to the place, 
nor any show of traffic, excepting at the season of fruit and 
wine, when a few mysticks and other light barks anchor in the 
river to collect the produce of the neighbourhood. The people 
are totally ignorant, and it is probable that the greater part of 
them scarce know even the name of America. Such is the 
place from whence sallied forth the enterprise for the discovery 

' of the western world ! 

• We were now summoned to breakfast in a little saloon of the 
hacienda. The table was covered with natural luxuries pro- 
duced upon the spot— fine purple and muscatel grapes from 
the adjacent vineyard, delicious melons from the garden, and 
generous wines made on the estate. The repast was heightened 
by the genial manners of my hospitable host, who appeared to 
possess the most enviable cheerfulness of spirit and simplicity 
of heart. 

After breakfast v\re set off in the calesa to visit the convent 
of La Rabida, which is about half a league distant. The road, 
for a part of the way, lay through the vineyards, and wa« deep 



218 SPAmSH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

and sandy. The calaserohad been at his \\dts' end to conceive 
what motive a stranger like myself, apparently travelling for 
mere amusement, could have in coming so far to see so miser- 
able a place as Palos, which he set down as one of the very 
poorest places in the whole world ; but this additional toil and 
struggle through deep sand to visit the old Convent of La 
Rabid a, completed his confusion — "Hombre!" exclaimed he, 
" es una ruina ! no hay mas que dos frailes !"— " Zounds I why, 
it's a mini there are only two friars there!" Don Juan 
laughed, and told him that I had come all the way from Seville 
precisely to see that old ruin and those two friars. The cala- 
sero made the Spaniard's last reply when he is perplexed — he 
shrugged his shoulders and crossed himself. 

After ascending a hill and passing through the skirts of a 
straggling pine wood, we arrived in front of the convent. It 
stands in a bleak and solitary situation, on the brow of a rocky 
height or promontory, overlooking to the west a mde range of 
sea and land, bounded by the frontier mountains of Portugal, 
about eight leagues distant. The convent is shut out from a 
view of the vineyard of Palos by the gloomy forest of pines 
which I have mentioned, which cover the promontory to the 
east, and darken the whole landscape in that direction. 

There is nothing remarkable in the architecture of the con- 
vent ; part of it is Gothic, but the edifice, having been fre- 
quently repaired, and being white-washed, according to a uni- 
versal custom in Andalusia, inherited from the Moors, it has 
not that venerable aspect which might be expected from its 
antiquity. 

We alighted at the gate where Coliunbus, when a poor 
pedestrian, a stranger in the land, asked bread and water for 
his child ! As long as the convent stands, this must be a spot 
calculated to awaken the most thrilling interest. The gate 
remains apparently in nearly the same state as at the time of 
his visit, but there is no longer a porter at hand to administer 
'to the wants of the wayfarer. The door stood wide open, and 
admitted us into a small court-yard. From thence we passed 
through a Gothic portal into the chapel, without seeing a 
human being. We then traversed two interior cloisters, 
equally vacant and silent, and bearing a look of neglect and 
dilapidation. From an open window we had a peep at what 
had once been a garden, but that had also gone to ruin ; the 
walls were broken and thrown down; a few shrubs, and a 
scattered fi^-tree or two, were all the traces of ciiltivation tb?»t 



I 



APPENDIX. ^\^ 

remained. We passed through the long dormitories, but the 
cells Avere shut up and abandoned; we saw no living thing 
except a solitary cat stealing across a distant corridor, which 
fled in a panic at the unusual sight of strangers. At length, 
after patrolling nearly the whole of the empty building to the 
echo of our own footsteps, we came to where the door of a cell, 
being partly open, gave us the sight of a monk within, seated 
at a table writing. He rose and received us with much civil- 
ity, and conducted us to the superior, who was reading in an 
adjacent cell. They were both rather young men, and, 
together with a novitiate and a lay-brother, who officiated as 
cook, formed the whole coixmiunity of the convent. 

Don Juan Fernandez communicated to them the object of 
my visit, and my desire also to inspect the archives of the 
convent to find if there was any record of the sojourn of 
Columbus. They informed us that the archives had been 
entirely destroyed by the French. The younger monk, how- 
ever, who had perused them, had a vague recollection of 
various particulars concerning the transactions of Columbus 
at Palos, his visit to the convent, and the sailing of his 
expedition. From all that he cited, however, it appeared to 
me that all the information on the subject contained in the 
archives, had been extracted from Herrera and other well 
known authors. The monk was talkative and eloquent, and 
soon diverged frcgn the subject of Columbus, to one which 
he considered of infinitely greater importance; — the mirac- 
ulous image of the Virgin possessed by their convent, and 
known by the name of ''Our Lady of La Rabida." He gave 
us a history of the wonderful way in which the image had 
been found buried in the earth, where it had lain hidden for 
ages, since the time of the conquest of Spain by the Moors ; 
the disputes between the convent and different places in the 
neighbourhood for the possession of it; the marvellous pro- 
tection it extended to the adjacent country, especially in 
preventing all madness, either in man or dog, for this malady 
was anciently so prevalent in this place as to gain it the 
appellation of La Rabia, by which it was originally called ; a 
name which, thanks to the beneficent influence of the Virgin, 
it no longer 7nerited or retained. Such are the legends and 
reliques with which every convent in Spain is enriched, which 
are zealously cried up by the monks, and devoutly credited by 
the populace. 

Twice a year on the festival of our Lady of La Rabida^ and 



Mo SpAmSH VOYAGES OF MSCOVERY- 

on that of the patron saint of the order, the solitude and 
silence of the convent are interrupted by the intrusion of a 
swarming multitude, composed of the inhabitants of Moguer, 
of Huelva, and the neighbouring plains and mountains. The 
open esplanade in front of the edifice resembles a fair, the 
adjacent forest teems with the motley throng, and the image 
of our Lady of La Rabida is borne forth in triumphant 
procession. 

While the friar was thus dilating upon the merits and 
renown of the image, I amused myself with those day dreams, 
or conjurings of the imagination to which I am a little given. 
As the internal arrangements of convents are apt to be the 
same from age to age, I pictured to myself this chamber as the 
same inhabited by the guardian, Juan Perez de Marchena, at 
the time of the visit of Columbus. Why might not the old 
and ponderous table before me be the very one on which he 
displayed his conjectural maps, and expounded his theory of 
a western route to India? It required but another stretch of 
the imagination to assemble the httle conclave around the 
table; Juan Perez the friar, Garci Fernandez the physician, 
and Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the bold navigator, all hstening 
with rapt attention to Columbus, or to the tale of some old 
seaman of Palos, about islands seen in the western parts of 
the ocean. 

The friars, as far as their poor means and scanty knowledge 
extended, were disposed to do every thing to promote the 
object of my visit. They showed us all parts of the convent, 
which, however, has little to boast of, excepting the historical 
associations connected with it. The library was reduced to a 
few volumes, chiefly on ecclesiastical subjects, piled promiscu- 
ously in the corner of a vaulted chamber, and covered with 
dust. The chamber itself was curious, being the most ancient 
part of the edifice, and supposed to have formed part of a 
temple in the time of the Romans. 

We ascended to the roof of the convent to enjoy the 
extensive prospect it commands. Immediately below the 
promontory on which it is situated, runs a narrow but 
tolerably deep river, called the Domingo Rubio, which empties 
itself into the Tinto. It is the opinion of Don Luis Fernandez 
Pinzon, that the ships of Columbus were careened and fitted 
out in this river, as it affords better shelter than the Tinto, 
and its shores are not so shallow. A lonely bark of a fisher- 
man was lying in this stream, and not far off, on a sandy 



APPENDIX. 2^1 

point, were the ruins of an ancient watchtower. From the 
roof of the convent, all the windings of the Odiel and the 
Tinto were to be seen, and their junction into the main 
stream, by which Columbus saUied forth to sea. In fact, the 
convent serves as a landmark, being, from its lofty and 
sohtary situation, visible for a considerable distance to vessels 
coming on the coast. On the opposite side I looked down 
upon the lonely road, through the wood of pine trees, by 
which the zealous guardian of the convent, Fray Juan Perez, 
departed at midnight on his mule, when he sought the camp 
of Ferdinand and Isabella in the Vega of Granada, to plead 
the project of Columbus before the queen. 

Having finished our inspection of the convent, we prepared 
to depart, and were accompanied to the outward portal by the 
two friar:;. Oiu* calasero brought his ratthng and ricketty 
vehicle for us to mount ; at sight of which one of the monks 
exclaimed, with a smile, "Santa Maria! only to think! A 
calesa before the gate of the convent of La Rabida!" And, 
indeed, so solitary and remote is this ancient edifice, and so 
simple is the mode of living of the people in this bye corner of 
Spain, that the appearance of even a sorry calesa might well 
cause astonishment. It is Only singular that in such a bj^e- 
corner the scheme of Columbus should have found intelligent 
listeners and coadjutors, after it had been discarded, almost 
with scoffing and contempt, from learned universities and 
splendid courts. 

On our way back to the hacienda, we met Don Rafael, a 
younger son of Don Juan Fernandez, a fine young man about 
twenty-one years of age, and who, his father informed me, 
was at present studying French and mathematics. He was 
well mounted on a spirited gray horse, and dressed in the 
Andalusian style, with the little round hat and jacket. He 
sat his horse gracefully, and managed him well. I was 
pleased with the frank and easy terms on which Don Juan 
appeared to live with his children. This I was inclined to 
think his favourite son, as I understood he was the only one 
that partook of the old gentleman's fondness for the chase, 
and that accompanied him in his hunting excursions. 

A dinner had been prepared for us at the hacienda, by the 
wife of the capitaz, or overseer, who, with her husband, 
seemed to be well pleased with this visit from Don Juan, and 
to be confident of receiving a pleasant answer from the good- 
humoured old gentleman whenever they addressed him. The 



922 SPANISH VOYAGES OP DISCOVERT. 

dinner was served up about two o'clock, and was a most 
agreeable meal. The frufjs ani wines were from the estate, 
and we: 3 exceUent; ^he last of the provisions were from 
Moguer, for the djr.cent vi lage of Palos is too poor to 
furnish anything. A gentle breeze from the sea played 
through the hall, and tempered the summer heat. Indeed I 
do not l-now when I have seen a, more enviable spot than this 
country retreat of the Pinzons. Its situation on a breezy hill, 
at no great distance from the sea, and in a southern chmate,' 
produces a happy temperature, neither hot in summer nor 
cold in winter. It commands a beautiful prospect, and is 
surrounded by natural luxuries. The coimtry abounds with 
game, the adjacent river affords abundant sport in fishing, 
both by day and night, and delightful excursions for those 
fond of sailing. During the busy seasons of rural life, and 
especially at the joyous period of vintage, the family pass 
some time here, accompanied by numerous guests, at which 
tunes, Don Juan assured me, there was no lack of amuse- 
ments, both by land and water. 

When we had dined, and taken the siesta, or afternoon nap, 
according to the Spanish custom in summer-time, we set out 
on our return to Moguer, visiting the village of Palos in the 
way. Don Gabriel had been sent in advance to procure the 
keys of the village church, and to apprise the curate of our 
wish to inspect the archives. The vUlage consists principally 
of two streets of low white-washed houses. Many of the 
inhabitants have very dark complexions, betraying a mixture 
of African blood. 

On entering the vHlage, we repaired to the lowly mansion 
of the curate. I had hoped to find him some such personage 
as the curate in Don Quixote, possessed of shrewdness and 
mformation in his limited sphere, and that I might gain some 
anecdotes from him concerning his parish, its worthies, its 
antiqmties, and its historical events. Perhaps I might have 
done so at any other time, but, unfortunately, the curate was 
something of a sportsman, and had heard of some game 
among the neighbouring hiUs. We met him just saUying 
forth from his house, and, I must confess, his appearance was 
picturesque. He was a short, broad, sturdy little man, and 
had doffed his cassock and broad clerical beaver for a short 
jacket and a little round Andalusian hat; he had his gun in 
hand, and was on the point of mounting a donkey which had 
been led forth by an ancient withered handmaid! Fearful of 



APPENDIX. 223 

being detained from his foray, he accosted my companion the 
moment he came in sight. "God preserve you, Senor Don 
Juan! I have received your message, and have but one 
answer to make. The archives have all been destroyed. We 
have no trace of any thing you seek for — nothing— nothing. 
Don Eafael has the keys of the church. You can examine it 
at your leisure. — Adios, caballero!" With these words the 
galliard little curate mounted his donkey, thumped his ribs 
with the butt end of his gim, and trotted off to the hills. 

In our way to the church we passed by the ruins of what 
had once been a fair and spacious dwelling, greatly superior 
to the other houses of the village. This, Don Juan informed 
me, was an old familj^ possession, but since they had removed 
from Palos it had fallen to decay for want of a tenant. It was 
probably the family residence of Martin Alonzo or Vicente 
Yafiez Pinzon, in the time of Columbus. 

We now arrived at the church of St. George, in the porch of 
which Columbus first proclaimed to the inhabitants of Palos 
the order of tEe sovereigns, that they should furnish him with 
ships for his great voyage of discovery. This edifice has 
lately been thoroughly repaired, and, being of solid mason- 
work, promises to stand for ages, a monument of the discover- 
ers. It stands outside of the village, on the brow of a hill, 
looking along a little valley toward the river. The remains of 
a Moorish arch prove it to have been a mosque in former 
times ; just above it, on the crest of the hill, is the ruin of a 
Moorish castle. 

I paused in the porch and endeavoured to recall the 
interesting scene that had taken place there, when Columbus, 
accompanied by the zealous friar, Juan Perez, caused the 
public notary to read the royal order in presence of the 
astonished alcaldes, regidors, and alguazils; but it is difficult 
to conceive the consternation that must have been struck into 
so remote a httle community, by this sudden apparition of an 
entire stranger among them, bearing a command that they 
should put their persons and ships at his disposal, and sail 
with him away into the unknown wilderness of the ocean. 

The interior of the church has nothing remarkable, except- 
ing a wooden image of St. George vanquishing the Dragon, 
which is erected over the high altar, and is the admiration of 
the good people of Palos, who bear it about the streets in 
grand procession on the anniversary of the saint. This group 
existed in the time pf Columbus, and now flourishes in 



224 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

renovated youth and splendour, having been newly painted 
and gilded, and the countenance of the saint rendered pecu- 
liarly blooming and lustrous. 

Having finished the examination of the church, we resumed 
our seats in the calesa and returned to Moguer. One thing 
only remained to fulfil the object of my pilgrimage. This was 
to visit the chapel of the Convent of Santa Clara. When 
Columbus was in danger of being lost in a tempest on his way 
hon. from his great voyage of discovery, he made a vow, 
that should he be spared, he would watch and pray one whole 
night in this chapel; a vow which he doubtless fulfilled 
immediately after his arrival. 

My kind and attentive friend, Don Juan, conducted me to 
the convent. It is the wealthiest in Moguer, and belongs to a 
sisterhood of Franciscan nuns. The chapel is large, and 
ornamented with some degree of richness, particularly the 
part about the high altar, which is embellished by magnificent 
monuments of the brave family of the Puerto Carreros, the 
ancient lords of Moguer, and renowned in Moorish warfare. 
The alabaster effigies of distinguished warriors of that house, 
and of their wives and sisters, lie side by side, with folded 
hands, on tombs immediately before the altar, while others 
recline in deep niches on either side. The night had closed in 
by the time I entered the church, which made the scene more 
impressive. A few votive lamps shed a dim hght about the 
interior ; their beams were feebly refiected by the gilded work 
of the high altar, and the frames of the surrounding paintings, 
and rested upon the marble figures of the warriors and dames 
lying in the monumental repose of ages. The solemn pile 
must have presented much the same appearance when the 
pious discoverer performed his vigil, kneehng before this very 
altar, and praying and watching throughout the night, and 
pouring forth heart-felt praises for having been spared to ac- 
complish his sublime discovery. 

I had now completed the main purpose of my journey, 
having visited the various places connected with the story of 
Columbus. It was highly gratifying to find some of them so 
little changed,, though so great a space of time had intervened; 
but in this quiet nook of Spain, so far removed from the main 
thoroughfares, the lapse of time produces but few violent 
revolutions. Nothing, however, had surprised and gratified 
me more than the continued stability of the Pinzon family. 
On the morning after my excursion to Palos, chance gave me 



APPENDIX. 295 

an opportunity of seeing something of the interior of most of 
their households. Having a curiosity to visit the remains of a 
Moorish castle, once the citadel of Moguer, Don Fernandez 
undertook to show me a tower which served as a magaziue of 
wine to one of the Pinzon family. In seeking for the key we 
were sent from house to house of nearly the whole connexion. 
All appeared to be living in that golden mean equally removed 
from the wants and superfluities of life, and all to be happily 
interwoven by kind and cordial habits of intimacy. We 
found the females of the family generally seated in the patios, 
or central courts of their dwellings, beneath the shade of 
awnings and among shrubs and flowers. Here the Andalusian 
ladies are accustomed to pass their mornings at work, sur- 
rounded by their handmaids, in. the primitive, or rather, 
oriental style. In the porches of some of the houses I ob- 
served the coat of arms, granted to the family by Charles V. , 
hung up like a picture in a frame. Over the door of Don Luis, 
the naval officer, it was carved on an escutcheon of stone, and 
coloured. I had gathered many particulars of the family also 
from conversation with Don Juan, and from the family legend 
lent me by Don Luis. From all that I could learn, it would 
appear that the lapse of nearly three centuries and a half has 
made but little change in the condition of the Pinzons. From 
generation to generation they have retained the same fair 
standing and reputable name throughout the neighbourhood, 
fiUing offices of public trust and dignity, and possessing great 
influence over their fellow-citizens by their good sense and 
good conduct. How rare is it to see such an instance of 
stability of fortune in this fluctuating world, and how truly 
honourable is this hereditary respectability, which has been 
secured by no titles or entails, but perpetuated merely by the 
innate worth of the race! I declare to you that the most 
illustrious descents of mere titled rank could never command the 
sincere respect and cordial regard with which I contemplated 
this staunch and enduring family, which for three centuries 
and a half has stood merely upon its virtues. 

As I was to set off on my return to Seville before two 
o'clock, I partook of a farewell repast at the house of Don 
Juan, between twelve and one, and then took leave of his 
household with sincere regret. The good old gentleman, with 
the courtesy, or rather the cordiality of a true Spaniard, 
accompanied me to the posada to see me off. I had dispensed 
but little money in the posada— thanks to the hospitality of 



226 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 

the Pinzons— yet the Spanish pride of nay host and hostess 
seemed pleased that I had preferred their humble chamber, 
and the scanty bed they had provided «me, to the spacious 
mansion of Don Juan ; and when I expressed my thanks for 
their kindness and attention, and regaled mine host with a 
few choice cigars, the heart of the poor man was overcome. 
He seized me by both hands and gave me a parting bene- 
diction, and then ran after the calasero to enjoin him to take 
particular care of me during my journey. 

Taking a hearty leave of my excellent friend Don Juan, who 
had been unremitting in his attentions to me to the last 
moment, I now set off on my wayfaring, gratified to the 
utmost with my visit, and full of kind and gratefxil feelings 
towards Moguer and its hospitable inhabitants. 



MANIFESTO OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 

[The following curious formula, composed by learned divines in Spain, was first 
read aloud by the friars in the train of Alonzo de Ojeda as a prelude to his 
attack on the savages of Carthagena; and was subsequently adopted by the 
Spanish discoverers in general, in their invasions of the Indian countries.] 

I, AjLONZO DE Ojeda, servant of the high and mighty kings 
of Castile and Leon, civilizers of barbarous nations, their 
messenger and captain, notify and make known to you, in the 
best way I can, that God our Lord, one and eternal, created 
the heavens and the earth, and one man and one woman, from 
whom you, and we, and all the people of the earth were and 
are descendants, procreated, and all those who shall come 
after us; but the vast number of generations which have 
proceeded from them, in the course of more than five thous- 
and years that have elapsed since the creation of the world, 
made it necessary that some of the human race should disperse 
in one direction and some in another, and that they should 
divide themselves into many kingdoms and provinces, as they 
could not sustain and preserve themselves in one alone. All 
these people were given in charge, by God our Lord, to one 
person, named St. Peter, who was thus made lord and 
superior of all the people of the earth, and head of the whole 
human Hneage, whom all should obey, wherever they might 
live, and whatever might be their law, sect or belief; he gave 



APPENDIX. 227 

him also the whole world for his service and jurisdiction, and 
though he desired that he should estabhsh his chair in Eome, 
as a place most convenient for governing the WDrld, yet he 
permitted that he might establish his chair in any other part 
of the world, and judge and govern all the nations, Christians, 
Moors, Jews, Gentiles, and whatever other sect or belief might 
b^. This person was denominated Pope, that is to say, 
admirable, supreme, father and guardian, because he is father 
and governor of all mankind. This holy father was obeyed 
and honoured as lord, king, and superior of the universe by 
those who lived in his time, and, in like manner, have been 
obeyed and honoured by all those who have been elected to 
the Pontificate, and thus it has continued unto the present 
day, and will continue until the end of the world. 

One of these Pontiffs of whom I have spoken, as lord of the 
world, made a donation of these islands and continents, of the 
ocean, sea, and all that they contain, to the Catholic kings of 
Castile, who at that time were Ferdinand and Isabella of 
glorious memory, and to their successors, our sovereigns, 
according to the tenor of certain papers drawn up for the 
purpose, (which you may see if you desire.) Thus his majesty 
is king and sovereign of these islands and continents by virtue 
of the said donation; and as king and sovereign, certain 
islands, and almost all to whom this has been notified, have 
received his majesty, and have obeyed and served and do 
actually serve him. And, moreover, like good subjects, and 
with good-will, and without any resistence or delay, the 
moment they were informed of the foregoing, they obeyed all 
the religious men sent among them to preach and teach our 
Holy Faith ; and these of their free and cheerful will, without 
any condition or reward, became Christians^ and continue so 
to be. And his majesty received them kindly and benig-; 
nantly, and ordered that they should be treated like his other' 
subjects and vassals : you also are required and obliged to do 
the same. Therefore, in the best manner I can, I pray and 
entreat you, that you consider well what I have said, and that 
you take whatever time is reasonable to understand and 
dehberate upon it, and that you recognise the church for 
sovereign and superior of the universal world, and the 
supreme Poatiff, called Pope, in her name, and his majesty in 
his place, as superior and sovereign king of the islands and 
Terra Firma, by virtue of the said donation ; and that you 
consent that these religious fathers declare and preach to you 



228 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 

the foregoing ; and if you shall so do, you will do well ; and 
will do that to which you are bounden and obhged ; and his 
majesty, and I in his name, will receive you with aU due love 
and charity, and wiU leave you, your wives and children, free 
from servitude, that you may freely do with these and with 
yourselves whatever you please, and think proper, as have 
done the inhabitants of the other islands. And besides this, 
his majesty wiU give you many privileges and exemptions, 
and grant you many favours. If you do not do this, or 
wickedly and intentionally delay to do so, I certify to you, 
that by the aid of God, I will powerfully invade and make 
war upon you in all parts and modes that I can, and wiU 
subdue you to the yoke and obedience of the church and of 
his majesty, and I will take your wives and children and 
make slaves of them, and seU them as such, and dispose of 
them as his majesty may coromand; and I wiU take your 
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as vassals who will not obey or receive their sovereign and 
who resist and oppose him. And I protest that the deaths and 
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fault of yourselves and not of his majesty, nor of me, nor of 
these cavahers who accompany me. And of what I here teU 
you and require of you, I call upon the notary here present to 
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Author of " The New Shakespeare " and Other Travesties. 

A VOLUME OF GENUINE HUMOR! 



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WOMAN'S Place To-day. 

Four lectures in reply to the Lenten lectures on "Woman," by the Rev. 
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By Lillie Devereux Blake. 

No. 104, liOVELIi'S lilBRARY, Paper Covers, 20 Cents, 
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Mrs. Lillie Devereux Blake last evening entertained an audience that filled 
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of the recent Lenten talk of the Rev. Dr. Morgan Dix on the follies of women 
of Bociet J. —N'ew York Times. 

Mrs. Lillie Devereux Blake is a very eloquent lady, and a thorn in the side 
of the Rev. Dr. Dix, and gentlemen who, like him, presume to say that woman 
is not man's equal, if not nis superior. Mrs. Blake in her reply to Dr. Dix's 
recent lecture upon " Divorce, ' made some interesting remarks upon the sex 
to which she has the honor to belong.— iVet^; York Commercial Advertiser. 

There is no denying that Mrs. Blake has, spartan-like, stood as a break-water 
to the surging flood Rector Dix has cast upon the so-called weaker eex with 
the hope of engulfing it. It is sad to see a gentleman in the position Dr. Dix 
occupies setting himself deliberately at work to not only bring reproach upou 
the female sex, but to make us all look with comtempt upon our mothers and 
sioters. And ttie worst of his case is that he has shown that spirit in the male 
part of mankind, which is not at all creditable to it, of depreciating the in- 
tellect, the judgment, the ability and the capability of the female sex in order 
to elevate to a higher plane the male sex. According to Dr. Dix the world 
would be better were there no more female children born. And he makes 
this argument in the face of the fact that there would be "hell upon earth" 
were it not for the influence of women, and such women as Mrs. Lillie Devereux 
Blake, esiieci&llj.— Albany Sunday Press. 



Mrs. Blake's was the"most interesting and spicy speech of the evening. She 
was in a sparkling mood and hit at everything and everybody that came to 
her mind.— TA^ Evening Telegram. N. Y. 

A stately lily of a woman, with delicate features, a pair of great gray eyes that 
dilate as she speaks till they light her whole face like two great soft stars. — The 
Independent, N. Y. 

* * * She advanced to the front of the platform, gesticulated gracefully 
and spoke vigorously, d fiantly and without notes.— A^ew York Citizen. 

* * * a most eloquent and polished oration. The peroration was a grand 
burst of eloquence.— Troy Times. 

Lillie Devereux Blake, blonde, brilliant, staccate, stylish, is a fluent speaker, 
of good platform presence, and argued wittily and well.— Washington Post. 

There are very few speakers on the platform who have the brightness, 
vivacity and fluency of Lillie Devereux Bleike.— Albany Sunday Press. 

She is an easy, graceful speaker, and wide-awake withal, bringing our fre- 
quent applause. — Hartford Times'. 

Mrs. Blake's address was forcible and eloquent. The speaker was frequently 
interrupted by applause.— iV<?M> York Times. 

The most brilliant lady speaker in the cily.— New York Herald. 

Has the reputation of being the wittiest woman on the platform.— /yaw An- 
tonio Express. 

Mrs. Blake, who has a most pleasing address, then spoke; a strong vein of 
sarcasm, wit and humor pervaded the lady's remarks.— Pawg'AA;e€j9ste News. 

For Sale by all Newsdealers and Booksellers 

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By LORD LYTTON. 

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Without deciding on the comparative share of imagination and memory in 
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A STRANGE STORY. 



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THE HAUNTED HOUSE; 

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By LORD LYTTON. 

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THE 200TH ISSUE OF LOVELL'S LIBRARY. 



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The publishers of Lovell's Library have signalized the issue of the 200th 
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ing public of America. '' The Pilgrim's Progress " ia supposed to be a dream, 
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a deep stream, and so on. 

" The style of Bunyan is delightful to every reader and invaluable as a 
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language For magnificence, for pathos, for vehement exhortation, 

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Ten Lectures addressed to Cliildren. 

By PEMBRIDGE. 

I vol., i2mo., cloth, limp, -• - - .50 

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*' * Whist, or Bumblepuppy ? ' is one of the most enter- 
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There is scarcely an opinion expressed with which we do 
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''We have been rather lengthy in our remarks on this 
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RECENTLY PUBLISHED 

False Hopes: 



OR, 



FALLACIES, SOCIALISTIC AND SEMI-SOCIALISTIC, 
BRIEFLY ANSWERED 



An Address, by Prof. GOLD^WIJSr S MITH, D.C.I,. 

No. 110, Lovell's Library 15 cents 

''This is the title of a pamphlet in which Mr. Goldwin Smith dissects and 
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the revolutionary artisans, the name of a dangerous class ;' to the democratic 
movement of the times ; and, to the revolution in science which 'has helped 
to excite the spirit of change in every sphere, little as Utopianism is akin to 
science.'"— Toro/ito Globe. 

MR. SCARBOROUGH'S FAMILY 

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" ' Mr. Scarborough's Family ' is a very enjoyable novel. Mr. Trollope has 
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'" Mr. Scarborough's Family ' recalls all those features in Mr. Trollope's 
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128. 
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nr. 

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I 161 
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More Words About the Bible, 

by Bev, Ji\n. S. Bush 90 

Monsieur Lecoq, GaboriauPt.I..20 

Monsieur Lecoq, Pt. II 20 

An Outline of Irish History, by 

Justin H. McCarthy .......10 

The Lero iis»e Ca«e, by Gaboriau. . 20 
Paul Clifford, by Lord Ly) on, . .20 
A New Lease of Life, by About. , 20 

Bourbon Lilies 20 

Other People's Money, Gaboriau.^') 
The Lady of Lyons, Lyiton...lO 

Aiaeline de Bonrg. 15 

A See Quef'U, by W. Russel.. . . .XJ 
The Ladies Lindoree, by Mrs. 

Oliphant...; -.o.. .20 

Haunted Hearts, by Simpson. ...10 
Loys, Lord Bereeford, by The 

Duchesg 20 

TTndor Two Daeg, Onida, Pt. I. .15 

Under Two Flags, Pt. 11 15 

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In Feril of Hi? 1 ife. by Gaborlau.20 

I'.dia, by IV^ix Mtiller 20 

Je L3 an d Fla><he8 20 

Moonshiue and Marguerites, by 

The Duchess 10 

Mr. Scarboroush's Family, by 
Anthony Troilopc, Part I. .... .15 

Mr Scarborough' 3Fami^y,Pt II 15 
Arden, by A. MaryF- Robin3on.l5 
The Tower of Percemoiit.. .,..20 

Y '!andc, by Wm. Block 20 

Cruel London , by Jof^eph Hatton.20 
The Gilded Cl-que, by Gaboriau.20 
Pi'.ve County Folk*, E. H. Mott. .20 

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Henry Esmond, by Thackeray , .20 
Strance Adventures of a Phae- 
ton, by Wm. Bhick 20 

Denis Dnval, by Thnokeray 10 

Old Curiosity Shop,Dickens,PtI.15 
Old Cariosity Shop, Part II. . . .15 

Jvanhoe, by Scott, Part 1 15 

Ivanhoe, bv Scott, Part II 15 

Whit« Wings, by Wm. B.'ack. .20 

Th'^ Sketch Bonk, by Irvincj 20 

Ci'heriuc, by W M. Thackeray.lO 
Janet's Popentance, by Eliot.. ..10 
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B 'rnahy Rudge, Pi.rt II 15 

F'lix U(rU h/ Goor^'e Eliot.... 20 

Richelieu, by Lord I.."tton 10 

Sunrise, by Wm. Black, Fart I.. 15 
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My«tery of Orcival Gaboriau 20 

, L<>v<'L the Widower, by W. M. 

Thickeiay 10 

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mf>id. by Thomas TTnrdv 10 

David Cn^Perfield. D*cken8,Pt 1.20 

D>v!dCop|.erfleld. i art If 20 

Rif^-nxi, by Lord Lytton, Part I. .15 

P r>7.i, by L^rd Lytton, Part II. 15 

Pioiiide of Marriaee, Gaboriau.. 10 

. Faith and Unfaith, by The 

Ducheai 30 



163. Ti. Happy Mnn, by Lover... 10 
1G4, Barry Lyndon, by Thackeray.... 20 

1G5. Eyre's Acquittal . , 10 

ItjO. Twe.'. / 'i hon^:.-\(\ Leagues Un- 
der th? Sea, by Jules Verne . . .20 
167. Anti-Slavevy Days, by James 

Freeman Clarke 20 

1G8 B^^Tity's Daughters, by The 

Dnchess .20 

16?>. Bc\ond the tiuuti-e 20 

1,0. Hard Times, by Char:'.3DickenF.20 
^:\. Tom Crinele"? Lrfr, bvM Scott.. 20 
17?. Yanit.v Pair, by W.M."Thackeray.'.iO 
174. Un,;er?ronnd Ru'r-ia, Stepniak..i;0 
174. Middlemarch, by Elliot, Pt I... .'^O 

Middlemarch, Part II 20 

175 Sir Tom, by Mrs. Oliphant 20 

rrd iVIhara, by LordLyitou 50 

1 V7. The Story of Ida 10 

178. Madcap Violet, bv Wm, Black.. :;0 
170. The Little Pilcrira... 10 

180. Kiimeuy, by Wm. Bl:\ck. 20 

181. Whist, or Bumblopn»i)y ?. , 10 

152. The Beautiiul Wret', u, Blac'-....20 

153. Her Mother's Sin. by B. M. C!;iy,20 
181. Green Pastures and Pi:cadil'y, 

by Wm. Black. ...... I ,, 20 

185. The Mysterious Islaud, by Jules 

Verne, Part I, .15 

The Myst'i-rious Island, Pnrt II. . j5 

The Mysterious island, Pai; IIIJ5 

180. Tom Brown at Os:'ora, F.i t i..A5 

'^'^ om Brown at Oxi oid. Part 1 1 . . 1 3 

187. Thicker than Waicr, by J Payn.20 

188. hi Silk Attire, by VVra. Blaoh. . .CO 

189. Scott iKh Chief S.Jane Portcr,Pt.L20 
Scottish Chiefs, Part 1 L .,..,.. .20 

190. Willy Reilly, by Will Carleton. .,:0 
101. The IMautz Family, by She: oy.iiO 
193.' Great Expectations, by L jckens; 
193. Pendeuni.s,by 'Ihcickeray, Pert L20 

Peudeunis,by Thackeray,PartI ^20 
104, Widow Bedott Papers. 20 

195. Daniel Deronda,GtO Eliot,Pt. 1.20 
Daniel Deronda, Part II .20 

196. Altiora Peto, by Oliphant 20 

1G7. By the Gate of the Sea, by David 

Christie Murray 15 

198. Tales of a '1 ravclier, by Trvins:. . .20 
li^y. Life and Voyages of Columbus, 
by Washington Irvinjr, Part I. .20 
Life and Voyan^es of Coiumbus, 
-'' by Washingion Irving, Part 11.20 

200. The Pilgrim's Progresi. . . , .20 

201. Martin Chuzzlew it, by Charles 

Dickens, Part I. 20 

Martin Chnzzlewit, Part IT 20 

202. Theophras'us Such, Geo. Eiiot,..20 
103. Disarmed, M. r.ttham-Edvvards..l5 
2f'l. Eugei-e An'm by Lord Lytton 20 

205. The -panish Gjpsy and Other ^ 

Poem?, by George Eliot .20 

206. Cast Up by the :-e v Baker. . ......20 

207. ]*! ill on the Floss, Eliot, Pt. I. ..15 
Mill on the Floss, Part II 15 

208. Brother Jacob, and Mr. Gilflrs 

Love Storv, by Georee Eliot, . .10 
, Wrecks in the Sea of Life <, .80 



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